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The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Greece is known today for its herbs that are used in teas and homeopathic remedies. But did you know that there are many herbs that the ancient Greeks used that are still popular in Greece today? The five herbs below were gathered for their vast range of medicinal, superstitious, and culinary attributes thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, and they are still used today. Herbs can be found growing wild all across Greece, with their scents perfuming the air, and they are particularly well-suited to the country’s mountain slopes and green fields. Ancient Greek herbs used today Oregano (Rigani)...

University of South Florida Health-led team discovers that the compound fenchol has the same beneficial effect as gut-derived metabolites in reducing neurotoxic amyloid-beta in the brain. Fenchol, a natural compound abundant in some plants including basil, can help protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease pathology, a preclinical study led by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) researchers suggests. The new study published on October 5, 2021, in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, discovered a sensing mechanism associated with the gut microbiome that explains how fenchol reduces neurotoxicity in the Alzheimer’s brain. Emerging evidence indicates that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)–...

Fenchol, a natural compound abundant in some plants including basil, can help protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease pathology. …Then, they performed large-scale virtual screening of more than 144,000 natural compounds to find potential candidates that could mimic the same beneficial effect of microbiota produced SCFAs in activating FFAR2 signaling. Identifying a natural compound alternative to SCFAs to optimally target the FFAR2 receptor on neurons is important, because cells in the gut and other organs consume most of these microbial metabolites before they reach the brain through blood circulation, Dr. Yadav noted. Dr. Yadav's team narrowed 15 leading compound candidates...

The picture above is of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who ruled Siam from 1868 to 1910. He was a great modernizer and reformer, and is still beloved in the memory of the people of Thailand. Included in his many reforms were the ending of slavery and forms of indentured service in Siam; ending the practice of prostration; and clarifying and systematizing issues of land ownership. This photo of him cooking on his porch is still displayed in many Thai homes and businesses today. I’ve only eaten in a Thai restaurant once, but had a wonderful dish of duck seasoned with...

White Double THE DOCTORS WHO FORM the fourfold glory of the Greek Church complete their sacred number, on the cycle, this day. John Chrysostom was the first to greet us with his radiant light, during Christmastide; the glorious Pasch saw the rise of two resplendent luminaries, Athanasius and Gregory Nazianzen; Basil the Great, having checked his effulgent blaze till now, illumines the reign of the Holy Ghost. He well deserves so distinguished a place, by reason of his eminent doctrine and brave combats, which prepared the way for the triumph of the divine Paraclete over the blasphemies of the...

I saw that Basil had not commented since January and gave her a call. I got her daughter who answered the phone. The news is not good for our FRiend Basil. They sent this release:

Dear Freepers Basil, suffered a stroke in early January. It left her paralyzed on her right side and unable to speak. She's got very limited speech and her mental faculties are diminished. She spent many weeks in a therapeutic hospital but when it became apparent that her condition wouldn't improve, our family decided she'd be much happier at home. Hopefully we can minimize her suffering and keep her comfortable. Please pray for her, and Mr. Basil who is an amazing care giver and hasn't left her side.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider is well-known for his excellent books Dominus Est: It is the Lord, and Corpus Christi: Holy Communion and the Renewal of the Church in which he argues for greater reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and particularly for a return to the practice of receiving Holy Communion in the traditional manner, kneeling and receiving on the tongue. I heard him speak and had the privilege of meeting him in 2009 in Estonia and again earlier this year at a meeting of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. Bishop Schneider is a holy man and has a great love for...

Just found out that Basil is in the ICU with a subdural hematoma as the result of a fall earlier in the week. Prayers up for our dear Mari. God bless.

Just received a call from basil. She's in the hospital with psoriasis and could use our prayers. She says she's been in and out of the hospital with this and is feeling poorly. Thank God she has some family members there to comfort her. Praying she gets well soon and gets to go home. Hospitals are no fun. God bless.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Calif. (KGO) -- A rare pest was recently discovered at SFO in a shipment of fresh basil from Mexico. The pest is often referred to as a type of stink bug and poses a major agricultural threat. .. After authorities identified the pest, the entire shipment was refused entry and ordered to be exported from the United States. ...

Sunday’s Gospel on generosity and the need to renounce greed, is reflection worth continuing. Last week in the Breviary St. Basil the Great (in Hom. De caritate, 3, 6: PG 31, 266-267, 275) provided a reflection that amounts to an investment strategy not just for the near future of old age, but for eternity. Challenging though the saint’s thoughts are, they are also consoling and sensible. Lets listen to his instruction.Out of no intended disrespect for the saint, I would like to add some of my own comments in plain red text along with his reflections, and to adjust the...

HOMILY 21 On Detachment from Worldly Goods and Concerning the Conflagration Which Occurred in the Environs of the Church THOUGHT, well-beloved, that, Inasmuch as I had so vigorously plied you with the goad of my words on every and all occasions, you regarded me as a troublesome fellow, overbold for a stranger and for a man who is himself guilty on similar charges. Yet, by my rebukes you were moved to kindliness and the blows of my tongue you transformed into incentives to greater zeal. This, of course, is not a matter for surprise, since you are wise in the...

A woman accused of throwing a basil plant at her husband after a meat-related argument was arrested on a misdemeanor charge, according to a recently released police report. Accused herb hurler Andrea Antoine-Pierre, 52, was jailed on a battery (domestic) charge Monday following an apparent culinary confrontation with her spouse at their home in the 600 block of Southwest Curtis Street in Port St. Lucie. Antoine-Pierre's 60-year-old husband told Port St. Lucie police he was in the kitchen preparing food when his wife got home. "They then began to argue about what type of meat was supposed to be cooked,"...

Central to the early Christian community was an ethic which, on the one hand, condemned violence and bloodshed and, on the other, vigorously upheld the sanctity of life. Such an ethic had, and still has, manifold ramifications. In the case of the early Christians, it led them not only to shun the violent “pastimes” of the Roman arena, but also to eschew participation in the militarism of the Roman state. Of great import with regard to our contemporary scene, this ethic led the early Church to articulate a clear position concerning the treatment of the unborn. In the following paper,...

Marinade: 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon Juice 2 large cloves garlic - peeled and smashed 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves - 4 salmon steaks Directions: 1. Put the marinade ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree just until the basil leaves are minced. 2. Put half the marinade and the salmon steaks into a heavy plastic or glass bowl. Seal or cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Save remaining marinade for basting.

29 March 2007, 15:24 Canonical conflict over Bishop Basil Osborn?s going over to Constantinople settled - Metropolitan Kirill Moscow, March 29, Interfax - The problem over Bishop Basil Osborn?s moving to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has been canonically settled completely, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the department for external church relations, told journalists commenting on the Holy Synod?s decision of March 27. ?The problem arose because Bishop Basil went over to Constantinople illegally, without any request from Constantinople and without any consent from the Moscow Patriarchate. Now Constantinople has requested his documents, which customarily...

Hailstorms cause pesto shortage in Italy By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer Mon Aug 21, 5:24 PM ET Lovers of pesto, the tangy green pasta sauce, are bracing for increased prices or even shortages after unseasonable hailstorms in northern Italy destroyed much of the most prized variety of basil, the key ingredient in the Genoese specialty. Hailstones the size of tennis balls smashed glass panes on scores of greenhouses and pummeled fragile basil plants this month, wiping out entire crops near the town of Pra, west of Genoa, the capital of the Liguria region in northwest Italy. "The heart of...

Announcing the births of Aiden and Neil Macadam, my grandsons.Earlier I had posted a thread asking for prayers for these babies, as they and their mom (freeper pesto) were having a hard time of it. The babies weren't due until February Aiden weighed in at 3 pounds, 5 oz, and Neil weighs 2 pounds, 15 ounces. They join their big sis, Lily, who is 20 months old. As you can see, pesto and Mr pesto still need a lot of prayers--LOL!I'm heading to Sacramento this afternoon.