2021 Life Logs, Day 16: Rainy Saturday
Date: Saturday, January 16, 2021
Weather: Rainy, Clearing a Bit Mid-Afternoon; High 53, Low 34 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA

Actually, it didn’t rain all day. But overnight and this morning it was very stormy. The rain stopped in the afternoon, but other than a very brief moment when the sun tried to break through, it was a dreary day. I wish I could say I took advantage of the day and got a lot of things done that are on my very long inside ‘to do’ list. But I did not. Instead, I just enjoyed life. I worked on my current jigsaw puzzle. I can spend a half an hour and place very few pieces. But I persist. I rode my exercise bike while watching more depressing footage of the siege on the Capitol last week. I got a text from Heather saying that the Christmas present I got for Sam that just arrived late yesterday was quite a hit with Sam, as well as with Jonah and Ollie.
Since it took almost two months to get two little sets of magnetic sticks and balls, I ordered more today as there are just not enough pieces in the two sets I did order to build more complex things. Sam will get an ‘I Owe You’ for his birthday next week. I went to Heather’s to pick up an Amazon package that was delivered. And I came home and made leaf pie and broccoli potato soup. Somehow, that filled an entire day.

I did take two long walks with Shadow. As soon as the rain stopped, we took our first long walk. It was quite windy and still wet, so I decided to put the sweater on him that Ollie and I bought him for Christmas.
I had never even tried it on him and it is a bit too short in length. I think he looked a little silly, but it did protect him a bit from the wet and the wind. I think I am just not a ‘wear a sweater on your dog’ type of person! While on our second walk, we took time to visit the swans down by the dock and I realized that I didn’t know what kind of swans they are. So, when we got home I did a little research and found that they are Mute Swans, identified by their bright orange bills and a distinctive black knob on their foreheads. The Mute Swan (Cygnus oor) is not native. They are a Eurasian species that was introduced and now breeds in the wild in some areas, the upper reaches of the Eel River being one of those areas.

I also watched the third episode of a new Mark Hyman docu-series called The Longevity Roadmap. Mark Hyman is my health guru. The program I watched today focused on The Functional Medicine Approach to Cancer. Yesterday I watched the Functional Medicine Approach to Heart Disease. I have watched many of Dr. Hyman’s programs in the past, but not so much in the past year or so. I was amazed at the amount of new information that is being discovered through scientific studies and observations by doctors using a functional medical approach to treating their patients, especially regarding the role of insulin resistance. Basically, what they are finding is that a huge percentage of heart disease can be prevented with a few simple habits—staying your ideal body weight, exercising, not smoking, sleeping well, and eating a whole foods, nutrient-dense, plant-rich diet. Those same habits can also help to prevent cancer. So, I’ll keep riding that exercise bike, walking with Shadow, and striving to incorporate more and more veggies in my diet. And since quality sleep is so important, I’d better quit writing and get to bed!