Making bread sauce, it’s starting to smell a lot like Christmas here onboard…
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This is so on point, and when I posted I figured you and a few others would have some natural options that would help.
My potassium is low, which can make a difference in BP. This mostly means I get to have a bit of herbal tea, use garlic, and snack on bananas. Yogurt is a regular evening snack, which is supposed to be good.
I have been on a “from scratch” cooking kick for most of the two years, so I am more aware of what I am putting in my body than I used to be. I did this initially to deal with some high sodium levels, and it took me just a few months to get that sorted out. I am hoping I can have similar results with this.
On that front, my biggest risk factors right now are my weight ( I have put about 30 pounds in the last two years ), I eat too much red meat ( I love grilling a bit too much ), and my age ( I am 5 weeks away from 57 ).
They didn’t have any physical or obvious causes from the labs, but mostly some data that matched the symptoms. The part that is frustrating is that despite taking meds, they don’t really have much impact for me.
I would also assume my life situation is stress inducing. It took a coworker to point out that out to me, that I am dealing with two ongoing things at home ( a disabled wife, and a learning disabled adult child ), plus I am in a job that most folks would describe as stressful, and is certainly high stakes ( I write mission planning software for STRATCOM ). This might be the point where I consider going back to teaching, but that would be a big pay cut ( which is just a different type of stress ).
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Good to hear that you are aware of all this and take better care of what you eat, but yeah red meat is probably not the best in your situation and should be treated as something special every once in a while and not consumed on a regular basis.
Even though food is medicine the use of supplements additionaly might be helpful…i take quite a lot of stuff and got a packed pill dispenser but good to know that everything in there is coming from nature and not out of the greedy hands of the pharmaceutical complex.
I can only imagine how tough it must be taking care of a disabled wife and a child that also needs your help and attention…on top a stressfull job…phew…
If I had to choose i would always choose health over money. It will always work out somehow but what brings you all the money in the world if you are not healthy to also spend and enjoy it?
For stress management i suggest looking into breathwork and meditation.
It is immense how much you can achieve with 10min of breathing excercises every day (+10min meditation)
To lower blood pressure you can practice alternate nostrill breathing (Nadi Shodana) which is super easy and very effective.
You can not always control the situation but you can for sure control how you react to it!
Much love! 
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I am having a nice morning playing with the gear!
I seem to be fidgeting with the IEMs the most, partaking in a number of tip and cable rolls. Having a good bit of fun doing it, too. Exploring what is possible is always enjoyable for me. My new Kinera cable has found its way onto the PA02 - and I think it is going to stay there. Likewise, the Dunu cable is fantastic on the P7. A win-win! 
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…
I know that crisp air isn’t my favorite, but at least your winters aren’t too harsh. And I would love to see something other than grey skies. We spent most of the last week waking up to single digits Fahrenheit temps in Omaha. 5 F is about -15 C. We are getting into the coldest part of winter, and there is usually a 5-10 day window in February that we stay in the negative temps, with lows around -20 ( so think -15 C to almost -30 C ).
I had to go see a doctor yesterday morning, and it was 4 F when I left the house, and I had to put air in my rear tires while I scraped the windows. Both of them were at about half the pressure they should have been. I am probably going to spend the next couple weeks doing tests and such, but things are moving in the correct direction now.
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I got to see a rocket launch… sort of!
I was driving in this morning and at 0612hrs while traveling southbound on Hiway 280 I was treated to an incredible sight. They had just launched a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket @0607 from Vandenberg on a Starlink mission. When I first saw it, it kinda startled me. There was scattered fog in the area, so the image created was truley kinda unworldly. Kinda like this except add the dynamic of me being in clear skies looking southwest to this outbound Falcon 9 piercing through scattered, light fog.
I had to keep reminding myself to stay on task and drive! Something told me it was a launch - I have seen launches before. But the image this one provided is one for the books. Definitely a cool way to start the day.
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I tackled some tasks, learned new things, and had good conversations. It’s always satisfying to reflect on the little wins throughout the day . 
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It’s been a few years, but I suddenly got the itch again to make my own hotsauce again.
Bought a bunch of peppers and filled a jar with a mix of Jalapeno’s, Habanero’s and Carolina reapers.
I’m planning letting the fermentation go for a month or so before making the actual sauce.
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Very nice, keep us updated 
You just filled the jar with vinegar or how exactly are you doing it?
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Just water (unchlorinated) and sea salt (kosher salt is also good, it just can’t have any iodine in it).
Should be abt 3-5% salt per litre of water.
Fermentation should start after about a week or so, and should be ready after 3 weeks. But you can keep going for much longer than that. I’ve seen people letting it ferment for almost 6 months.
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Cool, thanks! 
I got a reminder of this, on a batch on sourdough levain just a few weeks ago. It nearly halved the fermentation rate, and definitely altered the taste.
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Aww, looking stellar! <3
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…
Just tried to make my coffee stronger than my will to work, spoiler: the coffee won.
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