Monthly Archives: May 2021

annuals, exotics, invasives, Mowing practices, native plants, perennials , , Leave a comment

Oh no! They (almost) did it again!?!

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May 7, 2021: I was just about to go out into the greenbelt for some photo taking when I heard the sound of a mower on the berm. I quickly came back running and shouting for him to stop.

Pointing out all of the native Texas wildflowers still in bloom, I explained that one should NEVER mow down a stand of wildflowers in bloom (as was done last year while I talked on the phone with their home office). I mentioned that I was trying to eliminate the invasive weeds so that the native wildflowers would have a chance to return, including the Bluebonnets, some of which had not set seed yet. (And to which he replied something along the lines of yeah, I thought I saw some back there, indicating the area that he had just mowed, and which now showed no evidence of Bluebonnets).

For an idea of what happened in 2020, refer to these two posts: May 25, 2020 May 28, 2020

Last year I managed to pull most of the Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) that had covered the berm. This time around, Maltese star-thistle (Centaurea melitensis) was the infestation of the year, and as of May 11, 2021, I have removed about 10 bags of this from the berm behind my house. Of course, it has already infested the greenbelt.

To their credit, the mowers backed off, apparently called someone for instructions on what to do, and then proceeded not to mow any more of the berm behind my fence, although he did have to drive through the area, choosing a path that would minimize the damage to the wildflowers. And crushed a good deal of the thistles to the ground, along with some wildflowers.

Thankfully, in spite of the C. melitensis, the wildflower population was much more numerous than last year. The recessive gene all-yellow Gaillardia pulchella (Indian blankets) for which I have coined the common name “Sunwheels” in contrast to the all-red pigmented “Firewheels” have also bloomed again, this time almost entirely on the berm. In previous years I have seen them in a few nearby locations, but for the last three years I have observed them directly behind my house, on the berm or in the greenbelt. (Of course, when you only have to step out the back yard to see them, you are not motivated to search very far for them).

But enough blah blah blah. Here are some pictures worth a thousand words, especially when compared with the posts from 2020.

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Asclepias asperula (Antelope Horns) after the mowing.

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Gaillardia pulchella (“Sunwheel”) surrounded by Centaurea melitensis (Maltese star thistle)

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Berm behind my house – native plants plus invasive weeds

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The green belt – Gaillardia pulchella in bloom

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The mower mows, leaving nothing behind. Looking South from behind my house, greenbelt to the left, berm behind my fence in the foreground.

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

#BCMUD

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depression, diet, Exercise, Parkinson's, Research Leave a comment

Dee Bee Ess (Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS))

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First of all, something I have suspected seems to have some clinical evidence:

It seems that the earlier one has Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) following a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis, the better one fares:

Pre-dopa Deep Brain Stimulation: Is Early Deep Brain Stimulation Able to Modify the Natural Course of Parkinson’s Disease?

This observational study evidences that DBS treatment exerts beneficial effects on motor symptoms and quality of life in early stages of PD, if applied when first functional and QoL-impairments occur, even before L-Dopa treatment initiation. These novel data and paradigm shift proposal challenge current algorithms for PD treatment and grants further studies evaluating the disease course-modulating potential of very early DBS application in larger populations.

I was fortunate enough to have opted for DBS due to Essential Tremors, when eventually the testing revealed the cardinal traits of Parkinson’s. Had I not received DBS implants at that time, but waited until the disease had progressed to a later stage, I would not likely be in the shape I am today.

Another Item of Interest is the article titled “Personality dimensions of patients can change during the course of parkinson’s disease” to which I can also add an affirmation. DBS programming has enabled me (along with a long term psychiatric neurobehavioral specialist  relationship) to stop having episodes of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and have now been off antidepressants for over a year. Although this is not necessarily what the authors had in mind when they did their study, it does suggest that DBS had something to do with it. Particularly after one DBS programming session, I apparently went into a manic state, which caused my wife to report the change in mood and behavior to my Movement Disorders Specialist, so that the programming was “dialed back a few notches.”

And of course, a good deal of the credit goes to my wife, who looks after my diet so that I am eating nutritious and organic foods as much as possible, and the good folks at Power for Parkinson’s and the Georgetown Area Parkinson’s Support group, which provide exercise classes and social connections. I have noticed a more outgoing personality than previously, though it would be difficult to disentangle the various factors influencing any supposed changes in my alleged personality. 

As Michael Jackson said to Paul McCartney in “The Girl Is Mine,” I’m a lover, not a fighter.” 

or as David Bowie sang, “Ch-ch-ch-changes.”

okay, now I’m just being silly.

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