Thank you to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting this In Touch with Nature post about Cape Buffalo also known as ‘Black Death’.
Roberta Writes – WordCrafter Book Blog Tours presents A GEM for your Pre- or Type 2 Diabetes
The Giveaway
Got a question or an observation about the book, the GEM method, the author, or the tour? If not, just say, “Hello!” Comments at each stop earn entries in the Giveaway for a chance to win one of four signed print copies (If you live outside the U.S. a free digital copy will be substituted due to the high costs of international shipping.)
About A GEM for your Pre- or Type 2 Diabetes
Have you just been diagnosed with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes and don’t know where to turn, or have you tried different weight-loss programs or medications that haven’t done enough?
GEM—Glucose Everyday Matters offers a practical, science-based approach to preventing and managing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes by focusing on one powerful idea: reducing blood glucose spikes that can quietly damage health, energy, mood, and motivation.
Developed from decades of clinical research and real-world coaching, GEM helps readers understand why blood sugar rises—and how small, realistic choices can improve it. Rather than rigid diets or exhausting exercise plans, GEM teaches flexible strategies that fit everyday life: eating smarter, moving with purpose, understanding your body’s signals, and using glucose feedback as a tool for empowerment.
Inside this book, you will discover how to:
• Lower blood sugar naturally and sustainably
• Reduce cravings, fatigue, and energy crashes
• Lose weight without feeling deprived
• Improve motivation, confidence, and emotional well-being
• Use simple movement and meal strategies to reduce glucose spikes
• Personalize diabetes management to fit your lifestyle and goals
• Build lasting habits that support long-term health
Whether you are newly diagnosed, trying to avoid diabetes, struggling despite medications, or supporting a loved one, GEM provides a compassionate, evidence-based roadmap toward better health—one manageable step at a time.
This is not about being perfect.
It is about discovering what works for you and making meaningful changes.
To learn more about diet and blood glucose control, see A GEM for your Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes at your favorite retailer here: https://books2read.com/GEM
Becoming Aware of Choices
How Do Carbohydrates Really Affect Blood Glucose (BG)?
There are three classes of foods, called macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These categories can be further divided into many subgroups. Of these three macronutrients, carbohydrates are the primary nutrient that significantly raises blood glucose (BG). Most foods contain a combination of all three macronutrients. See the examples in the table below.
Standard reference estimates are provided.
| Food / Beverage | Carbohydrates (g) | Fiber (g) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) |
| 6 oz grilled salmon | 0 | 0 | 34 | 18 |
| Red wine (5 oz) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cabbage (1 cup, raw) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Peanut butter & jelly sandwich | 40 | 4 | 10 | 16 |
| Potato chips (1 oz) | 15 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Oatmeal with raisins (1 cup oats + 2 tbsp raisins) | 49 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Whole milk (8 oz) | 12 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Raisin bran with whole milk (1 cup cereal + 1 cup milk) | 58 | 7 | 13 | — |
This table illustrates an important point: not all foods are created equal when it comes to macronutrient composition.
Even more importantly, not all carbohydrates are the same. As shown on nutrition labels, some foods contain fiber, a form of carbohydrate that is not digested and therefore does not raise blood glucose. To estimate the carbohydrates that actually affect BG, you can calculate net carbohydrates by subtracting grams of fiber from total carbohydrates.
Some ketogenic and “low net carb” products also include sugar alcohols, which are carbohydrates that may be only partially absorbed, digested more slowly, or excreted before fully impacting blood glucose. For this reason, some products subtract both fiber and sugar alcohols to estimate net carbohydrates.
Why does “net carbohydrate” matter?
Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have estimated that, on average, one gram of carbohydrate raises blood glucose by about 4 mg/dL (though individual responses vary).
Using the examples above, a meal of grilled salmon, cabbage, and red wine might raise blood glucose by approximately 28 mg/dL, while a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bag of chips and a glass of milk might be expected to raise it by approximately 248 mg/dL.
Understanding these differences highlights the powerful role that food choices can play in blood glucose management.
To learn more about diet and blood glucose control, see A GEM for your Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes at your favorite retailer.
If you have had type 2 diabetes (T2D) for 24 months or less and would like information about our ongoing NIH GEM study, contact Jacqueline Rodriguez at ZMT8XG@uvahealth.org or 434-422-2653.
Food Choices
About Daniel J. Cox
Daniel J. Cox (Dan) is a professor of Psychiatry, Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center and a member of the Center for Diabetes Technology. He is a longstanding investigator of behavioral diabetes- how behavior affects diabetes and how diabetes affects behavior. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and industry (LifeScan, Abbott, DexCom, Lilly).
In 2010 he shifted his research focus from type 1 to type 2 diabetes (T2D) following his own diagnosis of T2D. He was not optimistic about losing weight and was not thrilled about a lifetime of medication, so he developed an alternative and effective way of managing T2D. Glucose Everyday Matters focuses on preventing high blood glucose (BG) by choosing foods that do not raise BG much and by lowering high BG with physical activity. Since an initial diagnostic A1c of 10.3 (reflecting a three-month BG average), GEM has put his diabetes in remission-lowered his A1c below 6.5 with no medication. This transformation was achieved with significant critique, support, and help from his wife Debbie.
Tour Schedule
Mon. 7/20: Short Trailer & “How Does GEM Work?” – Poetry by Mich: Hotel by Masticadores: Masticadores Philippines
Tues. 7/21: “Becoming Aware of Choices” & “Food Choices”– Roberta Writes
Wed. 7/22: “Dietician Monica Davis Interviews Daniel J. Cox” – Patty’s Worlds
Thurs. 7/23: “Bringing Down BG with Pysical Activity” & “Gem’s Research Findings” – Undawnted
Fri. 7/24: “Protecting and Extending Your Investment” – Writing to be Read
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, Tanka Tuesday, W3, The Flower Hour and Thursday Doors
Today is Friday at last and I do have it off. My work hours are under severe threat and I’m going to have to increase them for three months as I have a big project on the go. There is no use in working the hours and not getting paid for them. Anyhow, onwards and upwards.
d’Verse, Tanka Tuesday and W3
I’ve used the d’Verse theme of night provided by the wonderful Dora for both my Tanka Tuesday and my W3 offerings this week.
You can join in Dora’s d’Verse challenge here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/07/14/my-god-its-full-of-stars/
Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge is to write a bussokuseki. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/07/14/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-73-bussokuseki-7-13-26/
This first poem is a bussokuseki about the African bush at night.
Night in the Bush
darkness in the bush
shines like polished black marble
healthy and glossy
splattered with bright, sparkling stars
by comparison, town dark
appears anemic and pale
Jaideep’s challenge is to write a three line poem merging a cultural tradition and modern technology. You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/07/15/w3-prompt-220-weave-written-weekly/
I selected the tradition of using the Southern Cross constellation as a directional guide combined with working on a computer.
My Artificial Life
Dark night of my computer screen
loads itself into start mode.
Logon criteria flash,
artificial Southern Cross.
Guiding my entrance into
another working day.
The Flower Hour
Last week I mentioned that I’d attended a partner conference in my new job. These photographs are of the gorgeous pincushion protea flower arrangements that graced the lunch tables.
You can join in Terri’s The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/07/14/the-flower-hour-39-something-about-orange-flowers/
Flower arrangement featuring three pincushion proteas in red, orange, and yellow. 
Close up of a single pincushion protea. The red tipped orange petals are narrow and curve inwards above its yellow centre hence its name – pincushion protea. 
A slightly more distanced shot of the three pincushion proteas flower arrangement.
Thursday Doors
On Sunday past, my family attended the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Monte Casinos Pieter Torien theatre. It’s been more years than I’m going to tell you since TC and I last saw this show and I’d forgotten how graphic it is. I was a bit worried about Michael’s friend, Jenna, but she took it in her stride and enjoyed it.
You can join in Dan’s challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/07/16/korean-heritage-room/
These are some beautiful doors from outside the theatre.
These photographs are of the stage:
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, W3, Bird of the Week & Thursday Doors
It’s been a crazy week! Is there any other kind of week, I wonder. I attended New Partner Induction on Monday and Tuesday and a Partner Conference from Wednesday to Friday. So many new ideas and new people. My coping mechanism is to draw and paint and write poems so I have three poems to share with you today. I have also started a new art project – my biggest to date and perhaps my most ambitious. Michael thinks its ambitious but I just think its just bigger. All my art projects are very ambitious at the time of initiation. I push myself further with each new painting.
Tanka Tuesday
Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challege this week is to write a tanka Puente poem with the theme of light vs dark.
Colleen has also announced the submission dates to the new Sunflower Tanka anthology 2027. I would love it if you participated and submitted your syllabic poems. You can find out more by reading Colleen’s post here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/07/07/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-72-tanka-puente-7-7-26/
Something New, something older
room of new partners
most young – bright eyed and bushy tailed
full of excitement
ready to take on the world
determined to make their mark
AI won’t replace humans, but humans who use AI will replace those who don’t—Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI
sprinkling of old hands
pockmarks on golden surface
engaged yet cautious
veterans of corporate wars
survivors of constant flux
More excitement with Sunflower Tanka! Colleen and I are running a new series to promote the anthologies. You can read the first post here: https://sunflowertankaanthology.com/2026/07/10/introduction-to-contributor-chris-hall-her-review-of-sunflower-tanka-an-anthology-of-tanka-tanka-prose-experimental-tanka/
W3
Jodi’s prompt is “For this prompt, write a poem in which every line is a lie — except one.“
No, I didn’t write about AI – hehe! You can decide if what is a lie, if anything. Lies in this poem are in the eyes of the beholder.
Some Days
Some days the sun does not rise
Golden horses do not pull the fiery ball
across the blue washed sky
Cotton tailed clouds do not gambol and play
Flowers do not bloom
do not expose fragrant centres
to buzzing bees and butterflies
the day does not progress
all remains in darkness
Other days
the sun leaps into the sky
washing the world
in golden light
Bird of the Week
You can join in Bird of the Week here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/bird-of-the-week-invitation/ and read the latest post here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/common-gull-birds-of-the-week-clxxvi/
Racing or The World’s Dumbest Bird
Two kori bustards
racing down the road
are they trying to escape
our slow paced vehicle
(perhaps its TC’s purple jersey
I hate it too)
Or
is the male chasing the female
male kori bustards
have a bad reputation
for playing the field
attempting to breed
with as many females as possible
but taking no responsibility
for the resultant off spring
(Hey! that sounds familiar …)
One goes left
the other right
they appear the same size
more or less
but males are up to 40% larger
my perception must be wrong
(what about yours?)
Mr Right looks confused
(there’s a surprise!)
glancing over his shoulder
as I hang out of my window
(you’re not supposed to do this!
what if I fell out
got eaten by a lion
or worse yet
kidnapped by a baboon)
snap! snap! snap!
As we slowly pass
Mr Right warms up to the idea
of posing for the camera
gives me his best side
(can you see his smile?)
Thursday Doors
My blogging friend, Brian, featured a photograph of the gargoyles of Notre Dame pre the fire. You can read his post here: https://equinoxio21.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/random-travels-umpteen/. I am sharing a few pictures I took of Notre Dame and its gargoyles so Brian can rest assured they are thriving. My shots aren’t as good as his!
The doors are for Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/07/09/old-sturbridge-village-6-26/
First Notre Dame and its doors:
These are the gargoyles. My friend, Chris, also likes gargoyles. You can find Chris’ blog here: https://lunas-online.com/2026/07/10/a-spaceship/
Roberta Writes – Reblog: Famous Books and Authors – The World According to Garp by John Irving
I found this book to be completely fascinating and absorbing. My thanks to Barbara from https://bvitelli2002.wordpress.com/2026/07/06/book-review-fox-by-joyce-carol-oates/ for pointing me in the direction of this book.
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, CFFC, and The Flower Hour
I’m late this week. I had planned to post this last night but I had a three-hour art class in the morning and then I had to take Mom back to the optometrist for more tests and to chose new frames for her two new pairs of glasses. My mother loves shopping and she can not be hurried, and shouldn’t be because she enjoys it so much, so she tried on just about every frame in the shop. We chose two really lovely frames and she is very happy. I was exhausted when we got home at 4pm as I learned a new technique at art which was quite difficult to implement initially (I’ve got the hang of it now) and then all the traffic and stress of the tests. The good news is the technique looks really good on my current painting and Mom’s eyes are doing a lot better.
Tanka Tuesday
Willow asked poets to write a tanka poem about a photograph that brings to mind a particular memory. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/06/30/tanka-tuesday-challenge-71-photo-tanka-photo-tanka-6-30-26/
This photograph of a gold roses cake I made for my mother’s birthday some years ago is the inspiration for this poem.
The Invastion (double tanka prose)
Whenever I see a shoebox, I am reminded of cockroaches. During the height of my cake making phase, I used to make a lot of fondant flowers. To create the cupped shape of the various flowers, I moulded tinfoil into a bowl shape of the correct size for the flower and carefully arranged the flower inside. I then placed the flowers inside a shoebox and left them to dry for at least a week. Some layered flowers, like roses, took me three weeks to a month to make as I gradually added additional petal layers week by week. I kept a collection of empty shoe boxes in my pantry and used them when I needed them. There were at least ten piled up on a shelf at any given time. Early one summer, I noticed we had several cockroaches in the kitchen. I set some cockroach traps around the room but the problem continued to escalate. A few weeks later, I decided to clear out the entire pantry in an attempt to get rid of the cockroaches. When I brought down the shoeboxes, I discovered they had been adopted as cockroach nests and the boxes were full of these nasty, little creatures. The boxes were disposed of, the pantry cleaned from top to toe, and cockroach traps set just about everywhere. This did bring an end to the invasion but I have never recovered from the horror of discovering all those revolving insects inside those shoeboxes. I no longer collect shoeboxes and am paranoid about cleaning under the fridges and stoves to ensure no unwanted visitors gain a foothold in my kitchen.
peaceful neighbourhood
twenty-four hour food service
attracts cockroach guests
unappealing as they are
nature always has her way
***
taking precautions
to keep insect world in check
part of normal life
should these creatures disappear
world as we know it would end
CFFC
Dan’s CFFC challenge this week is brown. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/29/the-crayola-box-of-8-brown-cffc/
Terri’s Flower Hour
When I went shopping this morning I saw this gorgeous King Protea flower. I bought it to photograph with a view to paining it. Terri’s The Flower Hour prompt is patriotic florals. The Giant or King protea is the national flower of South Africa.
You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/06/30/the-flower-hour-37-patriotic-florals/
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, CFFC, Thursday Doors & Sunday Stills
It doesn’t rain in Johannesburg during the winter. At least it never did until this year. This week, after the winter solstice, we got rain and a heavy mist. While in the traffic on my way into the office, I wrote this poem and took the accompanying photograph. Unusual for my home city.
This poem is a lai comprising of nine lines for Melissa’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/06/23/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-70-the-lai-6-23-26/
Slish! Splosh! Splash!
grey cloud hovers low
golden headlights glow
splish splosh
car snake ultra slow
drizzle impacts flow
my gosh
large puddle – oh no!
mud streaks quite a blow
must wash
Thursday Doors, CFFC, and Sunday Stills
Dan’s CFFC challenge is blue. I have found blue pictures for Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge and Terri’s Sunday Stills wild animals challenge.
You can join in Dan’s CFFC here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/22/the-crayola-box-of-8-blue-cffc/
You can join in Dan’s Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/25/czechoslovak-room/
You can join in Terri’s Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/06/21/sunday-stills-animal-of-the-month-where-the-wild-things-are/
Click on the slideshow to view two giraffes that I saw at Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterkloof, South Africa. This is a series of three photographs of the heads and upper necks of two young giraffes against a bright, blue sky. In the first photograph, the two animals are close together but apart. In the second and third photograph, the two giraffes have crossed their necks at the top so that their heads are pointing in opposite directions. In the second photo, the animals are looking straight ahead while in the last photograph they are looking up with their heads angled upwards.
Roberta Writes – Learn about tailor ants, fire ants and army ants
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, W3, CFFC, Bird of the Week, and Sunday Stills
Another crazy week has come to an end. My mother has had a terrible few weeks with blepharitis and severe eye pain. This condition, combined with her chronic dry eye has made her quality of life very poor. She’s been wearing a hat pulled right down over her eyes and the antibiotic cream made her practically blind. Very worrying for me from a fall risk point of view.
I took her to my optometrist at 7.30am this morning (she squeezed her in) and she now has a whole treatment plan to treat both chronic conditions. I’m hoping she will have no pain and be able to read again soon.
TC has also been in India for the last two weeks. He arrives home this afternoon. When he’s not home I have to do everything so life feels even busier than usual.
This is the main reason why my post is late this week but, as I always say, better late than never.
I’ve put a few challenges together again today.
d’Verse and W3
Nancy’s prompt is to write a poem in four-stanzas with eight syllables per line about a hard-earned accomplishment. You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/06/17/w3-prompt-216-weave-written-weekly/
Lillian’s Tuesday d’Verse challenge is Get out your crayons and come colour with me. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/06/16/get-out-your-crayons-and-come-color-with-me/
I’ve been learning colour theory for my painting. I am very happy with the results and will share a new painting incorporating my new skills soon. In the meantime, here is a poem about colour theory.
Splat and that
world of colour theory opens
mixing and matching a great game
drop of red enhances golden
tones that ignite into bright flame
***
splashing orange into umber
instills richness into brown
change like wakefulness from slumber
remarkable shade turnaround
***
smear of scarlet into China white
uplifts it to the palest pink
now white painted sections look right
retraining mind on how to think
***
Van Dyke brown enhanced with light blue
brings a greater deepness to dark
eye perceives subtle change in hue
enriched pigment resets benchmark
d’Verse and Bird of the Week
De Jackson’s prompt is to write a quadrille (44 word poem) about a myth. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/06/15/quadrille-250-mything-poems/
You can join in Bird of the Week here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2026/06/16/egyptian-goose-birds-of-the-week-invitation-clxxiii/
My poem is about the myths surrounding the African Fish Eagle which I was privileged to see on my recent bush trip.
The Messenger
know as the ‘Voice of Africa’
its iconic yodeling cry
trails across the blue sky
like condensation from planes
African fish eagle
steeped in mythology and folklore
revered in Bantu and Shona traditions
as its carries messages
between the heavens
and the earthly realm
My photographs of the African fish eagle
Sunday Stills and CFFC
Dan’s CFFC challenge is green. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/15/the-crayola-box-of-8-green-cffc/
Terri’s Sunday Still’s challenge is also green. You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/06/14/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-exploring-evergreen-and-wonder-in-the-great-outdoors/
These pictures are typical of the South African bush during autumn (except for the Country Club one).
Roberta Writes – I’m Late for Tanka Tuesday and Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge & CFFC & The Flower Hour
Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge
Esther’s challenge for last week was to write about pets. I’m late but never mind, I’m often late. You can read other peoples work and join in Esther’s new challenge here:
Dog Tragedy (shadorma prose)
When I was a girl of twelve we lived on a plot in Honeydew, Johannesburg. It was the second time we lived in this same house as my father had returned to his dream of farming part-time. The property was large with much of the ‘garden’ comprising wild veld grass and scrub bushes. My parents bought two pedigree Great Dane dogs because my mother had always liked this breed and there was a lot of space for them to run about. They were also supposed to be guard dogs but that didn’t pan out well because Harry and Lucy were exceptionally stupid animals. They were a lovely rich light brown colour, with friendly temperaments, and slobbery mouths. I have never been a big fan of slobber but I did like this gangly pair who were always delighted to see me and full of enthusiasm for life.
Some months later, my mother was asked to take another dog. The dog’s family was immigrating and they needed to rehome her. My mother agreed and the new dog soon settled into the family. Her name was Runt and she was partly Chihuahua and partly who knows what. I took a great liking to Runt and she became my dog.
The property adjacent to ours was a working sheep farm. The sheep were even more stupid than Harry and Lucy who took great pleasure in barking madly every time a sheep came into view on the other side of the fence. The sheep never knew what to do about the barking and just stood frozen until the dogs grew bored and moved on to new entertainment. Runt, however, was a clever dog. She also had the instincts of a hunter. Runt took a great interest in the sheep over the fence.
One morning, Harry and Runt were missing when we awoke. We called and called when breakfast was served but no dogs appeared. Eventually, Harry turned up in a bad state. He had been shot in the leg and was bleeding badly. My father had to take him to the vet for treatment. Runt never came home. Later that day, the farmer came to call. Runt had discovered a hole in the fence and she and Harry had wriggled through. Runt had led Harry in an attack on one of the lambs. The farmer, hearing the commotion, had shot at the dogs, killing Runt and injuring Harry. In those days, farmers defended their livestock by shooting any predators which is part of the reason why wild dogs and leopards are so endangered now. I was devastated when I learned the news and I’ve never had another dog since. We were told the lamb had died but there was never any proof of that.
keen prey drive
mixed breed chihuahua
looked for fun
found trouble
victim of a farmer’s anger
crossed the rainbow bridge
Tanka Tuesday
Colleen’s challenge was to use variants of the word yellow in a syllabic poem. You can read other poet’s entries here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/06/04/tankatuesday-yellow-things/
Flowering Aloes (tanka)
organic gemstones
string of lemon quartz flowers
lifeblood of aloe
produced in heartwood of plant
basking in cool amber sun
CFFC – Yellow & The Flower Hour
These are the flower pictures that inspired my Tanka Tuesday poem above.
You can join in CFFC here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/08/the-crayola-box-of-8-yellow-cffc/
You can join in The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/06/09/the-flower-hour-34-roses-in-memoriam/
roberta-writes.com 