Virginia

Yesterday, I returned from my trip to Virginia. I had been through Virginia on my way to other places. But, I had not spent any significant amount of time there until now. 

I have to say that I absolutely LOVED Virginia! It is one of the most beautiful states I have every visited and I have been to 26 of them. 

I was not able to find hard evidence of additional family connections to my great-grandfather but did find some potential connections that I may be able to explore online. The Fauquier County Public Library was very well organized and Vicky the librarian was a great help.

Our tickets to Monticello ended up being on the rainiest day of the trip, but we got to see the innovative home of our third President. He was indeed a man ahead of his time.

The trees were amazing!! Pink and white dogwoods were in full flower, I saw my first empress trees, and their azaleas were just blooming. I felt Iike I got to experience Spring twice! 

The thing that impressed me most was the people. Drivers allowed people to merge, did not tailgate, and were not constantly honking their horns. They allowed me to navigate crosswalks without either trying to zoom around me or ignoring the crosswalk altogether. People held doors open for me everywhere. Wait staff at restaurants were able to accommodate my dietary needs without any problems at all.  People were friendly and helpful even when they did not know I was a visitor. 

I am planted in Mississippi, but if I should ever want to live somewhere else, it would definitely be Virginia. 

Road Trip!

Tomorrow I leave for my longest solo road trip ever. I am going to Fauquier and Culpeper Virginia, the land of my Nelson ancestors. 

While there, I am hoping to find a link or two beyond my great, great Grandfather, Major B.F. Nelson who was born September 4th, 1817 in Fauquier County. At some point, he moved to Copiah County, Mississippi and sired George B. Nelson, who then fathered George B. Nelson Jr, (my grandfather), and my Daddy, George B. Nelson III. 

Along the way, I am going to stop and have meals with family and friends. And, special friends are going to meet me in Virginia and hang out with me (and hopefully help me with my research!) while I am there. A trip to see the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, is also in the plans. 

I am going to have to be careful to pace myself, but I have my neurologist's blessing to make the trip. Many things have been weighing heavily on me for some time, and I am looking forward to leaving it all behind for a few days. 

A fun song mentioning from Virginia from one of my favorite musicals, 1776! 

https://youtu.be/urgrF6OBuZc

FODMAP

A couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of a FODMAP. My GI doc had to write it down because I had no idea what he was saying.

FODMAPS are:
a collection of short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols found in foods naturally or as food additives. FODMAPs include fructose (when in excess of glucose), fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), lactose and polyols (eg. sorbitol and mannitol).

These are not well absorbed in the bodies of some folks. In some cases, they can aggravate IBS. In my case, I was having pain very similar to what I was having before I had my gallbladder out. Apparently, my body is simply no longer processing certain foods the way it did before my cholecystectomy. 

So, reluctantly, I gave my bread, cashews, granola bars, apples, cookie mixes, prepared soups, and honey away and began the diet. For me, that word has always been DIE with a T, but I wanted to feel better. 

After only two weeks, I actually feel a lot better. The pain is mostly gone unless I accidentally ingest something that is on the no-no list. My beloved garlic is a major offender and it seems to be in EVERYTHING! Much of what I am not supposed to eat, I am allergic to already, so I don't miss it. Alas, much of what I would be allowed to eat, I am allergic to as well! I don't miss bread as much as onion, garlic, and mushrooms. I do miss pasta and am hoping to find some FODMAP approved varieties soon. 

One of the advantages to patronizing local restaurants is that the managers/owners can tell me exactly what is in most of their food. They have been wonderful in adapting menu items so that I can enjoy them. Billy's, Goldie's, Gumbo Pot, Rowdy's, and The Coffee House Cafe have kept me from starving thus far. I am also having to cook more, which is not entirely a bad thing for my waistline or my wallet. 

Besides not being in as much pain, there have been some other perks of the low FODMAP diet. My reflux is much better and I have been able to cut my medication in half. I am, slowly, losing some weight, and best of all, I actually have more energy. I am not going to be running any marathons, but I seem to be able to get a little more done these days. 

This lady has a great website for guidance on how to manage this diet:

http://www.katescarlata.com/


Bon appétit!





 

Tornado Warning

Last night, we had an honest to goodness tornado warning. Not a watch. A real live warning. 

When Dave Roberts told me to get in my safe place, I realized that I don't really have one. We can partially close off a tiny bit of hallway, but that it about it. Everything else has an exterior wall and windows. 

I dutifully grabbed my spare bed wedge, a couple of pillows, and a blanket. Trying to actually get down on them was a quite a scene. I am glad no one was recording that operation with a cell phone! When the all clear was sounded, it was an equally entertaining scene trying to get up. Thank goodness my husband was there to help me. 

I have often worried about not hearing the phone ring at night with my red alert calls. My mind was set at ease last night. I received SIX calls. Three on my home phone and three on my cell would be enough to wake even me. 

Thankfully, we escaped any major damage. But, this is Mississippi in the Springtime. 

My pillows and blankets will stay handy. 

Basketball

I admit it. I am not a basketball fan. It moves so quickly that I have trouble following it. The score changes with nerve-wracking swiftness. I would rather watch football or baseball. 

However, when a Mississippi team is working hard and doing well, I am happy for them. My sister and brother-in-law both graduated from MSU and I have a nephew there right now. 

Once the Lady Bulldogs got to the Sweet 16, I tried to watch the games. My heart just couldn't take it! It was all I could do to tune into the last 5 minutes!  How could die-hard State fans watch and not have heart attacks??

I will be following the game via social media on Sunday. But, you can rest assured I won't be tuning in till the last 5 minutes! 

Good luck to the Lady Bulldogs! They have earned their place in history.