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Adding Essential Nutrients for Essential Growth

September 13, 2016 at 8:48 am by Claudia

I’m a gardener. This summer, I once again came to a realization I’ve come to before: in order for plants and flowers to grow and be strong and healthy, the soil needs to be amended. Nutrients are essential. One of my little garden patches had been neglected in recent years and when I sowed some seeds in the spring, it took a long time for them to sprout. When the plants finally started growing, they were a pale green, not the deep and healthy green of the plants throughout the rest of my gardens. They weren’t as strong and healthy as they should have been.

Oh, right! said I as I thumped myself on the head, I need to amend the soil next year. I need to add nutrients.

We plants of the human variety also need vitamins and nutrients to grow into healthy children and adults. Moms-to-be and moms of young ones want their children to be the best they can be and good nutrition is essential for healthy growth and development.

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One of the essential nutrients we need is DHA, or Docosahexaenoic Acid – “a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid found throughout the body. It’s a major structural fat in the brain and retina, accounting for up to 97% of the omega-3 fats in the brain and up to 93% of the omega-3 fats in the retina. It’s also a key component of the heart.” Studies show it is essential for brain health and development, eye health and heart health. (Quote from here.)

I’ve known about omega-3s for quite a while and also know that fish are a rich source of DHA. DHA comes from algae and fish eat algae.

But I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 30 years, so fish oil is a not a possibility for me. I recently learned about life’sDHA® , which is a vegetarian, sustainable source of DHA, grown from controlled microalgae sources. It delivers DHA omega-3s in a vegetarian capsule. You can read more on this site.

It’s a supplement that gives vegetarians, but not just vegetarians, all the benefits of fish oil – but from algae, not fish.

Since research shows that DHA supports brain and eye health throughout life, it seems like a (forgive the pun) no-brainer to me. And I love that it’s a vegetarian source of an essential nutrient.

life’sDHA® is an ingredient in foods, beverages and supplements throughout the world. Look for the life’sDHA® logo on product packaging to know you’re getting a vegetarian source of DHA omega-3.

This post sponsor – life’sDHA® – educated me on the importance of nutrients – including DHA omega-3 – for all stages of life.

Happy Tuesday.

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Book Review: Beulah’s House of Prayer by Cynthia A. Graham

September 12, 2016 at 9:10 am by Claudia

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Today I am reviewing Beulah’s House of Prayer by Cynthia A. Graham for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): In 1934, the tiny town of Barmy, Oklahoma is in need of a miracle. The cows are hungry, the rain won’t fall, most of Main Street is boarded up. Young aspiring trapeze artist Sugar Watson is dumped unceremoniously into this bleak setting with little money and only one thing on her mind – escape. Beulah Clinton, a Holy Ghost preacher, has dedicated herself to helping the distressed in this ragged little wasteland, and Sugar soon finds herself thrown in with Marigold Lawford, the simple-minded widow of the richest man in town, and Homer Guppy, a boy trouble follows like dust after a wind.

Despite Sugar’s immediate distaste for Barmy, Beulah’s patience, Marigold’s kindness, and Homer’s unconditional love make her reconsider the meaning of home.

On Black Sunday, the worst dust storm in history brings with it a choice: Sugar must decide whether or not to return home, leaving the hospitality – and love – of Barmy’s inhabitants. A stunning Depression-era literary novel with of touch of magical realism, Beulah’s House of Prayer captivates to the very end.

My review: I first became acquainted with the writing of Cynthia A. Graham when I read and reviewed Beneath Still Waters earlier this year. I was enchanted by her ability to create a rich world within a small town and its environs, every detail realized – so much so that I felt I was there. When the opportunity to review her newest novel arrived in my inbox, I jumped at the chance.

This novel does not disappoint; in fact, it confirms what I felt after reading Beneath Still Waters, Cynthia A. Graham is an excellent writer. Not only that, she understands human nature and writes with compassion and humor and great warmth.

In this Depression-era story, Barmy, a tiny town in the Oklahoma panhandle, becomes a character in itself; richly drawn, poorer than poor, dusty, destitute, yet full of interesting and wonderfully complex characters. Sugar, who ends up in Barmy after the sudden death of her father while traveling across the country, and Marigold, suddenly widowed, with no money to her name, are welcomed into the spare lodgings provided by Beulah, a preacher, who has also just found Barmy. Beulah, wise to the ways of the heart and an expert on human nature, reaches out to those in need, feeding them, counseling them, providing them shelter. Homer, who lives next door, is continually beaten by his alcoholic father. None of them – not Sugar, not Homer, not Marigold – know what it means to feel truly loved.

Each of the characters in this wonderful novel is beautifully written and Graham takes us along to watch their individual struggles as they make their way toward a sort of salvation.

Can these people who have been thrust together in a time of desperation and suffering somehow find hope? Will there be something better on the horizon?

I loved this novel. And yes, as the description says, there is a wonderful touch of magical realism within the pages. I finished it yesterday and I still can’t get it out of mind. The town of Barmy, the dust bowl, and all the characters are still alive for me. That says something, doesn’t it?

I recommend it very highly.

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About the author: Cynthia A. Graham is the winner of several writing awards, including a Gold IPPY and a Midwest Book Award for Beneath Still Waters, and her short stories have appeared in both university and national literary publications. She attained a B.A. in English from the Pierre Laclede Honors College at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Cynthia is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the St. Louis Writers’ Guild, the Missouri Writers’ Guild, and Sisters in Crime. She is the author of two works of historical mystery: Beneath Still Waters and Behind Every Door. Beulah’s House of Prayer is her first foray into the land of magical realism.

Good news! One of you will be the lucky winner of a copy of Beulah’s House of Prayer. Just leave a comment on this post and I will draw the winner’s name on Wednesday evening. Good luck!

Happy Monday.

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What a Day

September 11, 2016 at 9:32 am by Claudia

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Insane day yesterday. As I was preparing to transfer all my data to my new computer, I realized that I needed to get an adapter for the new ports on the MacBook Pro (this after a long phone conversation with someone from Apple). I drove – again – to Connecticut, got the adaptor, drove home, started to transfer the info.

And it wouldn’t work. I tried again. It didn’t work. Finally, I called Apple Support and we screen shared and a lovely woman tried to help me with the backup and this went on for about a half an hour until she said she was going to get her supervisor on the line and he came on and we screen shared again, and he came up with this big news: My 15 inch model of the MacBook Pro has half as much storage as my old 13 inch MacBook Pro. So all my photos (of which I had deleted thousands) and Lightroom, etc. were too much for this new model. I never even thought to check that, because why would I expect to have less storage?

Apple: I have a bone to pick with you. Why does my entry level 13 inch MacBook Pro from 2011 have much more storage than the current entry level 13 inch MBPro and the 15 inch MBPro? Are you adding so many bells and whistles that we’re actually paying more money for less storage?

It’s a pain in the ass.

Anyway, Scott from Apple Support said to take it back and then I have to decide whether to get a 13 incher with more storage, which will cost $200 less than I paid for the 15 inch, or get the higher end 15 inch, which will cost $500 more…I think it’s a no-brainer. Back to the 13 inch. Oh well. I had a dream of a 15 inch, but I have to give that one up.

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