I Think

I like the one here; it's quite like the store that was there before it, Sunflower Market. Alas, it's fairly far away from where I live.

We have two Sprouts not far from where we live. My wife and I both enjoy going there for their produce and bulk snacks when they're on sale. For e.g., chocolate covered almonds for $4.99/lb.

This stretch of Kuykendahl Avenue is filling up with new homes and businesses as rapidly as they can build them. Not so long ago, there was nothing along here. We lived almost in the country. Now, all this new stuff is "right around the corner." I like the convenience, but regret the loss of the slow life.

I bought melatonin, because I have not been sleeping that well, this week. A friend told me he uses it all the time. I don't want it to become a habit, but I am willing to try it a few times.

Be careful about taking it as melatonin in small dosages works for some people. I have heard many people complain about getting the runs from it, though.

It helped some, last night. As I said, I will not take it all the time. But, I am working a heavier schedule than I have been used to and I have a hard time getting enough sleep. After my work loads gets lighter, in a few weeks, I will not feel the need for it.

We ate at Denny's tonight. Classic Grand Slams. This restaurant and Taco Cabana, in Tomball, have different staff members almost every time we come back. Denny's has a huge four screen camera display screen on the wall, now. That's because armed robbers have been targeting these places with increasing frequency.

September signals weather changes, here. It usually begins with slightly cooler nights and this year, even days. If we don't get any tropical systems this year, we appear lined up for a nice fall and winter. I am planning a portable cover for the moringa tree, so all I have to do is put it there and seal it around the tree, if a freeze comes.

The Texans team coaching staff is always thinking, always making moves. They released Keenum, the backup quarterback as they signed New England's backup quarterback. We will know in about a week if all those changes can pay off.

Interesting; my wife and I went to Denny's this morning four our $4 breakfast.
I love pancake, the two sunny-side up and two bacons.

After hurricane Ike passed through here, the first restaurant to reopen was Denny's. We still had no electric or running water. The food they had was barely edible. But it was hot and they had coffee and tea. We loved it. I will always have fond memories of this particular restaurant.

Odd - For three weeks, HEB grocery store has not had Poligrip for the teeth on the shelf. So, I bought it at Kroger. Yesterday, I went to Walmart for some and they had none on the shelf. I googled their site, but found no notification there could be a problem. Could be the old folks are hording it, buying ten or twenty at a time. I going to asking the manager about it next time.

I bought my first reading glasses about age forty. When I went to work at the apartments, I was fifty. I could not distinguish between the head of a nail and a screw, without my glasses. I got myself some prescription glasses about age sixty, I think. I wore them until they fell apart. Today I have several pairs of reading glasses only. A few weeks back, I began reading up on supplements to help the eyes see better. Then I ordered David Williams Vision Advantage.

"Vision Advantage combines ALL the nutrients your eyes need from around the world. You get thousands of years of ancient healing wisdom and the very best scientific advancements starting with the "King of Carotenoids"—astaxanthin.

Full 6 mg research dose of astaxanthin reduces eye strain and fatigue

Seems everyone is jumping on the astaxanthin bandwagon these days. Suddenly it's the "hot" antioxidant everyone is praising. I agree that astaxanthin is a powerful nutrient. That's why it's been a signature ingredient in my Vision Advantage formula—for years.

Astaxanthin comes from microalgae that are found in abundance from arctic marine environments to common fresh-water rock pools throughout the world. It's what gives the pink and red color to salmon, shrimp, and lobster. Several double-blind, placebo studies have shown that a special form of astaxanthin reduces the symptoms of eyestrain and fatigue and improves dimness of sight.

Plus, studies show that astaxanthin promotes visual acuity. I've given you a full 6 mg research level of astaxanthin in each daily dose. But astaxanthin is just one of the many unique breakthroughs found in Vision Advantage.

The great Chinese herbal combination for sharp vision

In China, I discovered their best-kept secret for clear, keen vision—an ancient Chinese recipe called Hachimijiogan (pronounced ah-chi-mijo-jan) that's a precise blend of eight different herbs.

Research suggests this combination of herbs supports your eyes' lenses, nerves, and arteries. Specifically, it helps reduce free-radical stress on the optic nerve, promote electrolyte balance in your lenses, and support blood flow in the retinal artery.

The 5,000-year-old Indian secret for healthy eyes

In India, one of their favorite solutions for lifelong, healthy vision is a famous Ayurvedic herbal complex called Triphala, which means "three fruits." When combined, the health-boosting fruits support optimal eye health.

"Natural sunglasses" to filter out harmful ultraviolet rays

Lutein and zeaxanthin work together to shield your eyes from absorbing blue light, the most high-energy and potentially most damaging kind of light that reaches your retina. Plus, this powerful duo protects lens density and helps support the health of your macula.

A shield of antioxidants to safeguard your lenses

The biggest threat to your eyes is free-radical damage. In Vision Advantage, I've given you an arsenal of antioxidants, including N-Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC), which is most effective at increasing glutathione levels. This is critical because glutathione is nature's shield for your eyes and lenses, helping you protect your precious eyesight.

Nowhere else will you find a formula based on traditionally-used vision breakthroughs from around the world and the latest scientific research and advances. Vision Advantage keeps your eyes healthy in every way possible."

While I was waiting for it to be shipped, I bought lutein, billberries and grape seed extract. I began these right away. Then, for a few days, I took all of these, plus Vision Advantage, together. Tomorrow, I intend to use VA daily, until it is gone, and then switch to the three other products. These products are expensive, so I will only be able to buy some on occasion after they are gone. I feel I can see a bit better already, but it may not be so. I am typing this with no glasses and reading the pages pretty well. I could stand out in the sunshine and read a book with no glasses, already. Anyway, it's an experiment, about which I am very excited.

Hi, Edgar.

I'm now of the opposite view. You can take all this with a grain of salt, but I found this explanation convincing -

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/07/everything-we-know-about-antioxidants-and-vitamins-wrong

My own story is that I when I was diagnosed with Retinitis pigmentosa (1988), I was put on a bunch of antioxidants, and also bought, over the years, some others on my own. All of my ophthalmologists have told me it is better to get them from food and said to stop the pills. That happened in the nineties, early 2000'a, and I listened. My retinitis remains static, no negative changes since 1988. My "bad" eye is bad for other reasons (5 surgeries) but is also stable.

Adds, our mutual age is prime time for cataracts appearing, rather slowly. I don't remember if you said you are starting to have them. You may want to get that checked at some point. I got mine early, when I was 61 or so, as many people with RP do.

I know you have been involved with eye problems for a long time. And I respect that. For the time being, I will use my supplements and search out complimentary foods.

I was proud of Rocky today. Always, when we finish playing with the hose, I have to drag him and the hose to the shed, where I get it away and tie the end of it, so that he cannot pull it back out and chew it to pieces. Today was different. He ran ahead of me and placed the hose inside the door, exactly where I have been putting it. He did it just for me.

How sweet! No kidding. I hope you guys can keep that up. Hmmm, maybe a reward when he does that? Give Rocky an under the chin scratch for me (or scratch location of your choice).

He may have second thoughts when the weather gets below fifty or so. But then I may be able to take him to the park instead. We have a variety of parks to walk. I plan to avoid the lake, because he will want to get loose and swim after the ducks.

In the local news this AM is a video of three cops restraining a high school girl, one with his knee on her head while she screams. Her crime, so far as anyone knows, at this time? Using her cell phone in the hallway.

She stands 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 100 pounds, and claims she was tackled by three police officers at a high school because she wouldn't hand over her cellphone. The alleged incident, which was recorded by a fellow student, was posted to Instagram and has lit up social media with controversy.

The video, which has gone viral after being shared on multiple sites, appears to show a female student, Ixel Perez, being held on the ground by three police officers at Sam Houston High School. Perez was screaming loudly in the video as the officers restrained her, and one of them appeared to have put his knee on her head.

Perez said it all started because she refused to give her cellphone to an assistant principal who demanded it. She said the only reason she disobeyed the order is because she was concerned about her disabled mother.


Perez’s mother, Gladys Santos, has kidney problems and receives dialysis treatment. When her husband could not find her, he became worried and called his daughter.

“I checked my phone, that’s the only reason I got sent out of class by my reading teacher. And my reading teacher was talking to me and the AP comes into the conversation and just said ‘Give me your phone, give me your phone,’” Perez described. “I did not want to give her my phone because I was still worried about my mama.”

Perez walked away and ignored the administrators and that’s when the cops were called. Just as Perez reached her mom, she was confronted by the officers.

“I walked downstairs and there were two cops coming up in front of me and a cop from behind me," Perez said. "The cop behind me pulled my jacket back."

Perez said she tried to tell them she was talking to her mother, but they told her they did not care.

“I didn’t want to let go of my phone so they like, pinned me down to the floor,” she said. “One of them was behind me, like on my legs and trying to put the handcuffs on. It hurt a lot. And the other cop has his knee on my head, all his weight on me, and I was screaming because it hurt so much. I was crying because I thought I was going to get in trouble with my mom.”

Perez’s mother only heard screaming.

“When I was talking to her, she was screaming and I didn’t hear nothing no more so I drive to the school and I find police got her in the throat to try to get the phone away,” Santos said.

The mother and daughter said they both realize a rule was broken, but feel things should have been handled differently.

“It was way too much, everybody knows that. I’m only 4 foot 10 and it took three cops just because I did not want to give up my phone,” Perez said. “One day it’s going to be like an accident where they hurt somebody or they really do kill somebody and say it was an accident, and then, they are not going to tell the real side of the story.”

The altercation between Perez and the officers was captured on video and students posted it on social media using the hashtag #FreeSamHouston.

Perez was surprised to learn the video was posted on Instagram and by the outpouring of support she received. Students rallied for her Wednesday morning, displaying signs of support.

Perez has been suspended until Friday, and her mother says they are still having problems with school staff.

“Yesterday I tried to take her out of this school, looking for another school, but police came in there and kicked me out,” Santos said. She said they threatened to take her to jail if she did not leave.

The mother wants immediate changes.

“I want the police out and the police to stop abusing our kids,” Santos said. “The assistant principal and the principal; they are the ones that have started all this in the school with the new rules. I understand she break the rules, but they have to understand that students have problems, too. Teenagers have problems, too. They went too far.”

HISD released the following statement:

The safety of our students at Sam Houston High School and of all our schools is always our absolute top priority. We are aware of this issue and investigating.

I searched Nexium on line. Turns out the prescription product is still by prescription. Meaning, the over the counter stuff is weak by comparison. Now I know better than to waste my money.