Lemon Grass Tea

A client of mine's grandmother, who lives in Quartz Hill, gave me some Lemon Grass from her backyard garden. She told me to boil it in a pan and then let it simmer for a bit, and drink it as a tea. She had a great backyard, reminded me of the old days. She had a clothesline in the backyard, and all sorts of herbs and edible plants in the corner, under a grapevine covered trellis. She also gave me some mint. I added a sprig of the mint to this.

I googled the benefits of Lemongrass and found this at healthrus.org:

 

Lemongrass has been reported to have innumerable therapeutic and other health benefits. Widely used to alleviate certain respiratory conditions including laryngitis and sore throats, lemongrass has earned a reputation for its anti-pyretic property which reduces high fevers. Called fevergrass in some cultures the vapor is inhaled, leading to increased perspiration and eventually the complete removal of fever.
Lemongrass has powerful pain relieving properties. It helps to alleviate muscle spasms by relaxing the muscles thereby leading to the reduction of pain-related symptoms. It is thus useful for all types of pain including abdominal pain, headaches, joint pains, muscle pains, digestive tract spasms, muscle cramps, stomachache and others. This remedy has also been linked to increasing the body’s ability to repair damaged connective tissue such as cartilage, ligaments and tendons and is thus recommended for these types of injuries. Another related benefit is for improvements in blood circulation.
As an antifungal and antibacterial, lemongrass inhibits bacteria and yeast growth. For this it is useful for gastrointestinal infections and may also be applied externally to wounds as it fights germs. As an antioxidant lemongrass, contributes to liver and pancreatic health by helping the body to more quickly remove toxins. It has also being linked to lowered or normalized cholesterol levels. It also treat digestive issues including gastro-enteritis and may be helpful in relieving constipation.
Some sources suggest that lemongrass has antidepressant properties and is thus beneficial for nervous and stress-related conditions. It is said to be helpful in alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms. It helps to strengthen the nervous system and may thus be useful for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
The presence of Vitamin A in lemongrass makes it helpful for skin issues such as acne pimples. It helps to brighten the skin and eyes and clear up oily skin thus improving acne. Its antibacterial property is also valuable for skin infections. Lemongrass may improve poor body odor by controlling excessive sweating.

The tea was tasty and refreshing to say the least. I made a large quart of it and will enjoy it throughout the day. I may plant some in the backyard come Spring.

First time babysitting Emma

Heather took Katie to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs today, with a friend from school. I babysat Emma for the first time. She is 12 days old, and enjoys her naps. I fed her a little, changed her, and then she slept for the next 3 hours.

 I snuggled her up nice and warm while I made stew for dinner. She was a happy camper.

Sister Katie, Meeting Emma for the 1st time

Here's a video of Katie meeting Emma for the first time. She was so super proud.

Emma Riley

Emma Riley was born today. Heather went in to labor in the middle of the night, about 2:30 a.m.  By 4:00 a.m., Emma made an appearance.

 Emma looks a lot like Katie when she was small, but also looks a lot like her mommy. She has a lot of hair, more than Katie had.

 

If your baby is beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time, you’re the grandma.
- Theresa Bloomingdale

Tracy Lawrence - Pioneer Event Center, Lancaster

I went to the Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster for the first time, to see Tracy Lawernce in concert. My sister, Becky, won some tickets from a breakfast at Crazy Ottos.

 

The venue is incredibly small. It probably holds about 300 people in fold up chairs.  They serve alcohol and some ocal minor league ballpark foods, chili nachos, nachos, chips, etc.

 

The concert itself was very good. I liked the music, but the venue was hot, and the chairs were so close together, you couldn't turn to the left or the right of you. I sat next to an old man who had arms so hairy, everytime I turend, it felt like I was snuggling up to a shag carpet.

 

Before the concert, we took selfies. They were hilarious.  One lady behind us decided to help us out, when she saw that one or two of us kept getting cut out of the photo.

She didn't do us any favors. Here is her photo. I think she was driniking:

 

We met Big D & Bubba, from KTPI and took some pictures with them:

 It was so hot in the venue that I was greasy and sweaty

 Becky with Big D & Bubba

 Tracy Lawrence performing with his band 

 

 The preshow was Jacob Nelson and the Tone Wranglers.  They are a local band, and were pretty good. They sang covers from other bands.

Fun night, overall, but I had a bad back for 4 days afterwards, from sitting so close to people there, and trying to squeeze in. I literally could hardly drive or sit at my desk.

His eye is on the Sparrow

Katie and I found a little birdie today, that fell from a tree and died. It was very sad. We buried him and gave him a funeral. Katie did the sermon, and it was very good. We made a cross and made a stone marker for Mr. Birdie.