Things are looking up somewhat around here. May greetings to you, a few days late as I've been feeling pretty rotten for almost a week. If you've ever been given one of those terrible antibiotics whose side effects make you much worse than you were before, you will know what I'm talking about! Right now I'm eating again, much like the squirrel, nibbling little bits of what are supposed to be the best foods to support the human microbiome.
What is the microbiome?
We humans are mostly microbes, over 100 trillion of them.
Microbes outnumber our human cells ten to one. The
majority live in our gut, particularly in the large intestine
The microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes
- bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses - that live on and
inside the human body. The bacteria in the microbiome help digest our food,
regulate our immune system, protect against other
bacteria that cause disease, and produce vitamins
including B vitamins B12, thiamine and riboflavin, and
Vitamin K, which is needed for blood coagulation.
The microbiome was not generally recognized to exist
until the late 1990s.
I've been resting a lot and not doing any gardening other than watering
sprouting herb seeds, hanging baskets and pots. They've not required
much attention as we've had plenty of rain. The roses are lovely this spring,
the hydrangeas are just starting to bloom, the grass is lush and grows so fast.
The peonies were somewhat battered in the rainstorms.
Recently, my wonderful friend Vanessa visited her family in Brazil.
She brought me some beautiful gifts including these crocheted runners
made by her mother. I met Celia just once some years ago when she
visited here. So kind of her to make these for me, and in grey and
cream cotton, perfect for my dining room - I love them.
Most recent flowers have been sweet-smelling white stocks from a
Trader Joe's stop after a doctor appointment last Tuesday, mixed with
greenery and a few roses from the garden. Yesterday the roses
dropped their petals but the stocks are long lasting and still lovely.
Hoping May is already lovely in your area. If you have a garden you are
probably very busy now!
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