“BER” are here…

How time flies and how the weather changes so fast. “BER” months are here to stay and from where I am right now it’s getting cooler already and it’s not even winter yet. Not even fall and the weather is already in it’s 60 degrees (from where I am) but in California it’s a different story.

It’s fire season in California and that’s not good especially people getting hurt and a number of firefighters have lost their lives fighting the blazing fire to saved other people’s property. Lucky are we who have dedicated firefighters.

Need to start saving for the “BER” months…..

♥

On a side note:

I am so thankful for all the blessings that we continue to received. Like what they say changes are a good start, one step at a time.

The Uninvited

Learn where five of the most common bacteria that have made people sick in recent outbreaks of food-borne illness lurks—and what symptoms to watch for.

Salmonella enteritidis

Bacteria found in some meat, poultry and eggs that, if undercooked, can cause illness. Salmonella lives in animals’ intestinal tracts, and is usually transmitted through contaminated animal feces. In eggs, salmonella infects the ovaries of hens and contaminates the eggs before the shells are formed.

Charges: Plaguing people with fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea, often beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or drink and lasting four to seven days.

Last seen: Contaminating peanut butter and products containing peanut butter in 2008 and 2009 across the U.S. As of April this year, sickening 714 people in 46 states and contributing to nine deaths.

Listeria monocytogenes

Bacteria found in soil and water. It has shown up in uncooked meats, vegetables, cold cuts and unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses.

Charges: Hitting your body hard—fever, muscle aches and sometimes nausea or diarrhea. It may take up to three weeks after eating the food to become ill. Infants who survive listeriosis may have long-term neurological damage.

Last seen: In 2007, causing trouble in Massachusetts where an outbreak linked to pasteurized dairy products affected five people (mostly elderly); three of them died. And in 2008, Meijer Distribution Center recalled about 2,184 pounds of frozen chicken entrees believed to be contaminated with listeria that had been distributed in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

Escherichia coli

Bacteria found mostly in meat (particularly beef) or produce contaminated with feces harboring the bacteria, and in unpasteurized (raw) milk and untreated water, too. The most common form is E. coli 0157:H7—the rest of the group of E. coli bacteria are mostly harmless.

Charges: Causing people to double over with diarrhea (often bloody), severe stomach cramps and vomiting. May also cause a low fever or pneumonia. Symptoms show up within two to five days of eating the contaminated food and most infections are mild, but about 5 percent to 10 percent of people develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition characterized by anemia, acute renal failure and low platelet count.

Last seen: Lurking in cookie dough and beef. In June 2009, Nestlé recalled its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough, which sickened at least 51 people, after a culture of the dough yielded E. coli 0157:H7. Also in June, the Food Safety and Inspection Service announced an investigation of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 and over 380,000 pounds of beef from JBS Swift Beef Company were recalled. At least 17 people in nine states were sickened by the beef.

Clostridium botulinum

Spore-forming bacteria that’s in soil and water and produces a nerve toxin that causes botulism. It is often found in improperly home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn. It also thrives in foods that are moist, left out at room temperature and/or have little exposure to oxygen; as a result, it has been found in honey, chopped garlic in oil and improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in foil. Damaged canned goods are particularly vulnerable.

Charges: Tricking people with early flulike symptoms, such as lethargy and muscle weakness, then bringing about double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and dry mouth. Symptoms usually appear 12 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food. Left untreated, symptoms may progress to irreversible paralysis.

Last seen: Menacing the Midwest and the South. The last major outbreak happened in 2007, linked to canned hot dog chili sauce. Eight people were sickened.

Campylobacter

Spiral-shaped bacteria that’s mostly associated with raw or undercooked poultry because it grows best at birds’ body temperature. Sometimes found in unpasteurized milk.

Charges: Punching people in the stomach with diarrhea (possibly bloody) and vomiting lasting up to 10 days (onset is two to five days after exposure). In people with compromised immune systems, the bacteria can spread to the blood. Other complications may include arthritis and Guillan-Barré syndrome.

Last seen: Hanging out in Colorado in March and April 2009. Infections were linked to the consumption of raw milk. Eleven people were sickened.

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You do not want any of these guest to be invited to your next party.

Mr. Moon

As the moon shines on me, on one peaceful evening. I can’t help but notice that my life is changing rapidly and even if I want to stop it, it is still changing.

I sometimes want to stop it or slow it down. I want to enjoy each minute and be reminded of how precious life it.

Let’s not hoard ill feeling to one another and stop procasinating. Do what you can do for tomorrow is another day.

Thanks for my Mom who pushes us to do what we need to do today and tomorrow is another day that holds no boundaries.

I have learned to live life one day at a time. I used to plan my whole week and if something comes up or happened I would literally get upset for it ruined my plan and later I learned that is happens for a reason and from then on I started to live my life one day at a time, enjoying each moment as if it was my last.

Our storm

As the unwanted storm touchdown and hit us big time, just like the flower in the picture we are standing strong and tall. I know that we will be able to make it.

How many storms did we already survived from?

A lot of it and each storm that passed we have learn a whole lot from it and no matter what we stood and stand by each other as a family. Support each other and making sure that we are not alone. Making each one smile as we go alone.

The hard part is that when other family members mingle and somewhat sabotage the plan. Then it becomes not a storm but a hurricane of storms. But nevertheless we think positive of the outcome and stay positive.

Thankful for the our kids are just so understanding with the whole situation. Thankful and being positive does help a lot.

Thanks Tony for the picture….

1st Accident of the year

Yeasterday while working I witnessed the my first accident of the year. What a way to start my new year. Really! I pity the driver in the brown car for when he got out he was old and shaken. I called 911 and informed the dispatcher of the accident and they sent some paramedic.

Just by looking through the glass window at my office. I could just imagine how shaken the old man was. I heard a screeched of tires and when I turned around to look what the screeched was all about I saw the old man hit a Honda CRV that was parked. He was visibly shaken and appears to be alright. His car got towed and off we all went home.

I hope that the old man is doing fine. I felt sorry for the accident and the old man. He could be my grandfather and anybodies grandfather as well. I hope he got home fine.

California or other states should implement a desired age of until when you can drive not because you can pass the test. Some older people should leave the driving to other people and not themselves. It’s a lot scarier to see accidents cause by older people because of miscalculation or some other reasons.