Posted: Saturday, December 7, 2013 1:07 pm
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Updated: 1:07 pm, Mon Dec 9, 2013.
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We have now entered the 12th month of the 13th year of the 21st century and I, for one, am delighted to be riding on this celestial body at this time. The past 60 plus years have passed by so quickly that it seems unfair at times to be trapped in such an old body, with such young thoughts. As I sit in the relative warmth of a Florida December, in what has been called, “God’s waiting room”, I realize just how fortunate I have been to be arriving here at all. My favorite poet, Wendell Berry, wrote a little poem entitled “On becoming 70” that I like to think of these days. It simply states “Well, at least I won’t die young”. I guess that says it all. Reading or watching the morning news provides plenty of excuses for not surviving these tough times. Recently, I read about the top 8 sources of toxic germs that we encounter in our everyday lives and it is a wonder that any of us are alive or healthy at all. This week I will take a brief hiatus from gardening topics (I wish I knew more about tropical plants) and share this important information with you. Here are the 8 main sources of germs that we should all be aware of according to a story reported on CNN.
First are restaurant menus. Apparently these things are covered with germs just waiting for an unsuspecting diner to pick up on his or her fingers and transfer to one’s insides by picking up your hamburger with contaminated fingers and taking a bite. I guess that explains why I often get a belly ache after eating at a diner or sit down restaurant. The 3,500 calories of fat, salt, sugar and grease I just ate had nothing to do with it as I suspected. It must be much healthier to eat at a fast food establishment where the menu is on the wall in front of you!
Second are lemon wedges. Now, who would have guessed that? Lemon juice is widely used in all sorts of products. They are low in calories, full of Vitamin C, odor suppressing and touted as remedies for all types of infections including sore throats and the common cold. It is also used to help polish your furniture and make things smell fresh! I guess that explains why I feel awful a day after drinking 6 or 8 gin and tonics with lemon wedges in them. All this time I had been foolishly blaming the alcohol!
Next are condiment dispensers. Better forgo that squirt of mustard on the next hot dog that you gulp down in 7 or 8 seconds as you rush off to the next meeting you are already late for. It is obviously the reason why you don’t feel so good when you arrive late. You should probably avoid going to the bathroom also since the door handles are next in line in terms of pathogens present. What is the point of making employees wash their hands after using the facility, if they need to open the door to get back to work? What a waste of soap and water! I guess singing the alphabet as your scrub your fingers is just an academic exercise. Especially since the soap dispensers in the bathroom themselves are next on the list of germ purveyors according to CNN.
Of course everyone knows that shopping carts are toxic to touch. Most big stores provide sanitary wipes just to disinfect the handles. It is no wonder that plopping your infant into one of them sometimes elicits screams of dismay. The poor kids are just trying to save their own lives. The stuff you put in that cart is, of course, irrelevant. Somehow, the free food samples you get to taste in the supermarket, usually impaled on toothpicks, are next on the list. That was a real shocker to me since the folks giving away the food are usually wearing plastic or rubber gloves. Could the toothpicks be toxic?
Organic produce however, although not listed by CNN, has also been blamed for deadly E.coli outbreaks. Now, who would have guessed that food which has been fertilized with a natural substance, such as manure, could possibly be unhealthy? I have had some organic gardening clients who use “manure tea” as their healthy alternative to 5-10-10. After all, “organic” is always a healthier choice.
The eighth and final culprit on the list is no surprise to me at all. Doctor’s offices are virtual warehouses of germs, despite the gallons of disinfectant they offer and all the drugs that are prescribed. Maybe we would not need the drugs if we just avoided going to the doctors to begin with? I can understand why many people enjoy working in a profession that is designed to make people feel better, but what a risk they are taking just by going to work every day. This clearly explains why health care costs so much!
Well, I hope the public service information I have just shared with you will allow you to pursue your life in a much safer manner. The winter Holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about all the germs that are out there, just waiting for an unsuspecting bathroom door opener! Next week I will reveal all the dangers posed by Holiday gift plants.
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Saturday, December 7, 2013 1:07 pm.
Updated: 1:07 pm.
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