For the last seven years (until mid-April), I prepared fresh fruit to add into plain whole Greek yogurt for Lizard every single morning. Because whole milk is good for Parkinson's. Bananas are very good for Parkinson's, too. Yogurt is good for the digestive tract, which can get really messed up by Parkinson's. And, fresh fruit... well, I'm not sure you can get any healthier than that.
Lizard had experienced digestive tract issues for years. Once he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, it was proposed he'd probably had it for years, long before I met him. With a ton of research and his willingness to adapt his diet and eating habits, we eventually cleared up all digestive tract issues within about 18 months of his diagnosis. He never again experienced the nagging digestive symptoms that absolutely torture so many people with Parkinson's. His doctors were amazed, particularly since everything else about Parkinson's kept advancing so aggressively.
We bought our dairy products through a local farm, which delivered in the middle of every Wednesday night. They stopped carrying whole yogurt two weeks before Lizard went into the hospital. I finally found a source for plain whole yogurt similar to what we'd been purchasing through the dairy a few days before Lizard went into the hospital. One of the containers (along with a gallon of fresh dairy whole milk) never got opened.
I was able to donate the milk to a new mother. (I drink almond milk. I even used to make my almond milk every week!) The yogurt sat in the fridge until about three weeks ago. I finally decided I'd better eat it before I had to throw it out.
At about that same time, I'd pulled what I thought was spaghetti sauce from my garden from the freezer to go with macaroni I was cooking. After thawing the unmarked container, I opened it to pour some on my whole wheat noodles and caught the first drips just in time. It was homemade spiced apple sauce from my neighbor's tree about two years ago. They and our neighbors on the other side hadn't had any apples since, and not because of late freezes. Lizard and I put in a pair of apple trees early this spring, hoping to help pollinate our neighbors' trees on both sides next year. (We learned we were supposed to pinch off all the blossoms this year so the tree can focus on root development, but, a late season deep freeze took care of that for us.)
I had hoped to one day grow our own apples for Lizard's yogurt, pies, cobblers, bread and empanadas, one of his favorite evening treats. I thought about all those treats as I pondered what I'd put on my spaghetti (store-bought jarred from the food storage sufficed). I decided to make some empanadas, which Lizard's sister enjoyed with me last week during our Tuesday bicycle ride. She was thrilled with the healthy treat.
I used some of the homemade applesauce in the yogurt and finished it off. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed eating yogurt in the mornings with Lizard. Made me miss him a bunch, too...
Last week, I discovered Greek almond yogurt at the same merchant where I'd bought the whole milk yogurt. I'm enjoying it this week with pineapple, mango, peach, ginger and cinnamon. Next week, I plan to enjoy some more with cherries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. The whole milk Greek yogurt isn't on my menu anymore, but that almond yogurt has earned a permanent space in my fridge.
Lizard's favorite yogurt was with fresh blueberries, but I'd also stocked the food storage with frozen and freeze-dried blueberries so I'd always be able to treat him, no matter the economy or world situation. We'd bought a new mature blueberry bush, too, the same day we bought the apple trees. I'd tried blueberry bushes in the past, but none ever survived the winter. The late freeze this season left me with three blossoms, which have now become blueberries. It would not have made a complete bowl of yogurt for Lizard, but I can supplement with what I have in the freezer for me.
I am so thankful Lizard is whole again. But I miss him so much. I'm hoping one day I can sit tearless in the quiet living room as the sun comes up and smile as I enjoy my new healthy yogurt or any of the wonderful things I made for him and remember him.
