What has fatty liver got to do with metabolic syndrome?

If one has at least 3 of the 5 following conditions, one has metabolic syndrome, that is all there is to it.

1. Abdominal girth is 40 inches or more for men (or 35 inches or more for women)
2. Fasting triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL or higher
3. HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg/dL or lower for men （or 50 mg/dL or lower for women)
4. Blood pressure of 130/85 or higher
5. Fasting blood sugar of 110 mg/dL or higher (some say 100 mg/dL)

No wonder having metabolic syndrome is a serious matter as it indicates one has many risk factors for cardiovascular disease and potentially will have multiple diseases.

Insulin resistance and obesity drive metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome was unheard until 1988, I recall it was initially called Syndrome X, (the name suggests the unknown mystery, after 15-20 years of research, much has been known) it is also called insulin-resistant syndrome; insulin resistance is the culprit of metabolic syndrome. When one eats excessive amount of carbohydrates that leads to elevated blood sugar, the pancreas will pour out insulin in an attempt to bring down blood sugar level. Having excessive amount of insulin around makes our cells become less responsive to it, sort of becoming complacent, so to speak, thus called insulin-resistant. The job of insulin is to push glucose into cells to burn as fuels to produce energy and also store the fat for the rain days and even covert glucose/fructose to fat (triglycerides) and store.

Type 1 diabetes is the pancreas can not make insulin, whereas the hallmark of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance.

Whether obesity causes insulin resistance or insulin resistance causes obesity is the chicken or egg causality dilemma of which one came first. It is generally believed that insulin resistance precedes obesity.

Understanding insulin resistance is the key
When cells become less responsive to insulin, the pancreas responds by pouring out more insulin in a futile attempt to overcome the resistance, resulting a situation of having lots of insulin yet the body behaves like not having enough insulin. (One needs to grab this concept in order to fully understand insulin resistance.)

So we'll see the following conditions when insulin resistance happens (almost the same as insulin deficiency):

1. Glucose cannot enter cells efficiently resulting high blood glucose level (if glucose cannot enter cells, it will continue to flow in the blood stream.)
2. Increased  fatty acids release from body fat store (as insulin inhibits fatty acids release from body fat store to the stream) resulting in increased triglyceride and low HDL (good cholesterol)
3. Decreased nitric oxide release, raising blood pressure.

Insulin is essential to maintain life, but too much of a good thing is not good, details of which is beyond the scope of this post.

How to tackle metabolic syndrome: Exercise, diet and weight loss

The most effective treatment of metabolic syndrome is exercise and weight loss (or maintain ideal body weight). Eat right kinds of carbohydrates may reduce insulin surge (I'll have a post talking about glycemic index); exercise increases (doubles) cells responsiveness to insulin up to 48 hours. Increased abdomen girth is due to accumulated fats, which are called visceral (internal organ) fats, deep inside abdomen and may disrupt the functions of organs. Liposuction will not help, though, but exercise can reduce the belly fat.

Waynesburg Gym: EQT REC Center

Is carbohydrate the "enemy" and sugar "toxic"?

We declared fat was the "enemy" in 1960s and 1970s, and had a second thought after the resultant obesity epidemic, which was attributed to eating too much carbohydrates.  Remember the days when Dr Atkins was being ridiculed and severely criticized by mainstream medical establishment.  Nonfat is not nonfattening obviously.  There is vicissitude of fortune (風水輪流轉), now carbohydrate is the "enemy", it has come a long way, we read an article in N.Y. Times back on 2/8/1995: "So it may be true after all: Eating pasta makes you fat". Ketogenic diet indeed has its merits, but may be too radical and extreme for most people.  General speaking one should prefer complex carbohydrates (such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, whole grains) to simple carbohydrates (such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose) and avoid refined flour products and soft drinks.

What is the fatty liver

Fatty liver means excessive fats accumulate in the liver, biopsy of which looks the same as alcoholic fatty liver (i.e. if one cuts a tiny piece of liver for examination, it looks the same fatty change seen in one with excessive alcohol consumption) so the official name of fatty liver is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Non-alcoholic fatty liver vs non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: Not all fatty livers are the same

It is estimated that 30% of Americans have fatty liver (70-90% of those with obesity or diabetes have it）Fatty liver doesn’t cause health problems of consequence, unless the excessive fats inside liver cells cause inflammation, in which case, it is called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (steato- means fat; hepatitis means inflammation of liver) or NASH. It is unknown why 5-10 % (some says up to 20%) of non-alcoholic fatty liver turn to NASH, it is apparently nothing to do with how much fats contain inside liver cells.

NASH may progress to fibrosis, then cirrhosis of liver, which may turn to liver cancer. It is estimated that only 3% of NASH progress to liver cirrhosis (one report says as high as 26%, though). But the potential risks of cardiovascular complications, such as heart attack or stroke, is essentially the same as that of metabolic syndrome. Thus it is safe to say one needs to be more concerned about one’s heart than liver when one has fatty liver.

Culprits of fatty liver: insulin resistance and fructose

Like metabolic syndrome, Insulin resistance is also the underlying mechanism. In fact, it can be perceived that fatty liver is the manifestation of metabolic syndrome in the liver.

Complex carbohydrates have to be digested/broken into glucose and fructose (fruit sugar) to be absorbed by body cells. Virtually every kind of body cells can handle glucose, which, with help from insulin, enters cell to be burned to produce energy.

Only liver cells can handle fructose, which is converted to fats (triglycerides) in the liver. Excessive fructose use leads to accumulation of fats inside liver cells, thus fatty liver.  In fact, liver can turn carbohydrates (in the form of glucose or fructose) into fat/triglyceride, a process called lipogenesis.

How to cut down fructose use

There are 3 sources of fructose in our diets:

1. Fruits
2. Sweetened soft drinks and juice
3. Refined flour products: pastries, cereals, cakes, desserts, etc.

Fructose is sweeter and cheaper than glucose, this is why high fructose corn syrup (55% fructose, 45% glucose) has been used to sweeten the soft drinks and refined flour products. So avoid sweetened soft drinks/juice and pastries is the way to go.  No need to cut back fruits intake as the benefit outweighs the harm。

The average consumption of high fructose corn syrup nowadays is 4-5 times that of 1960s, especially the teenagers.  High fructose corn syrup was invented in Japan in 1966 and began to market in the U.S in 1975, some said this is the Japanese revenge for the defeat of WWII.

Waynesburg Gym: EQT REC Center

Waynesburg Gym: EQT REC Center

A game giving testimonial of baseball is America's past time

Wednesday evening Game 5 of the National League Division Series gives a testimony of why baseball is America's past time.  It played at Dodger Stadium.  I feel compelled to write a post.

grand slam runner

Trailing 3 to 1 at the top of 8th inning, Washington Nationals hit two back-to-back homers against LA Dodgers ace pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, to tie the game, then on top of 10th inning, the Dodgers closer intentionally walked Juan Soto to load the bases as he was one of the twos hit the homer on 8th inning, ironically the next Nationals at-bat hit a grand slam, eventually beating Dodgers 7 to 3, on the way to the National League Championship Series.

Dodgers fans responding to Nationals' grand slam: cannot bear to see it

At times I wonder the wisdom of the intentional walk, a decision of the pitcher himself or the pitching coach?  From the statistics or probability perspective, walking Soto seems to be a logical choice, but little did they know the next one at bat hit a grand slam.  Baseball is not an exact science, divine intervention is very real.

Kershaw after giving up 2 back-to-back homers to Nationals

T.S. Eliot may not be correct when he said “April is the cruelest month” in his Waste Land, to Dodgers （winning record 106 games regular season this year) and especially Kershaw October is the cruelest month. Kershaw, a potential candidate for baseball Hall of Fame, doesn’t look as sharp and powerful as he was.  Off hand I do not have his statistics, but at age of 31, if he has seen his best days, it will be a sad story.

This will be the first time Washington Nationals reach the NL Division Championship to continue to stay in the games.  I normally root for Dodgers, but one fringe benefit is that the Nationals Park is the only place where the politicians from both aisles will cheer together for the same thing.

Learning English and telling story: fiddle and husband

fiddle

When violin is used to play folk music, it is often called “fiddle”, informal use of which also means “cheating and defrauding”.

We all know Churchill was an “accomplished” painter. He loved painting; he said in his Painting as a Pastime, “When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, . . . To be really happy and safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real.” So one time he took up violin and had to put it down in no time.

One of the numerous Churchill's biography books I read is “Churchill: an informal study of greatness”, in which I read the following paragraph, which is the best example of using “fiddle” for both of its meanings (violin and cheating).

It is not widely known that Churchill, in a period of political crisis, once bought a cheap violin and essayed to prepare himself for the concert stage. The fancy passed. Unlike bricklaying, the musical art was tougher than it looked. About all he got out of it was a witticism from Philip Snowden, a government opponent, who said, “I understand that Winston has taken up a new pastime — fiddling, and very appropriate, too.”

Churchill and Philip Snowden for many years were political enemies. But in his Great Contemporaries Churchill had kind words to say of him.

Afterwards it fell to my lot for seven years to wrangle with him about finance as Chancellor of the Exchequer, or in opposition to his Chancellorship, and we hit each other as hard as we could within the wide rules of Order. But never have I had any feelings towards him which destroyed the impression that he was a generous, true-hearted man.

The article about Philip Snowden ends with, (the "famous lines" come from a poem with a title of "England: an Ode"

The history of Parliament will not ignore the scene when the House of Commons rose to their feet in enthusiasm as he recited the famous lines:

All our past proclaims the future: Shakespeare's voice and Nelson's hand, Milton's faith and Wordsworth's trust in this our chosen and chainless land,
Bear us witness .. .
Come the world against her, England yet shall stand!

husband

Everyone knows what “husband” is, here are a few examples of using “husband” as the meaning of “to use resource economically; conserve”.

In his The Confessions Rousseau wrote about his encounter, while as a teenager, of a sexual abuse from a priest. I am not showing you the content of his description of the abuse, as it is not the intention of this post. In fact, he mentioned this kind of sexual abuse on another occasion. The sexual abuse scandal of the priests is apparently not a modern thing.

Conscious that my funds were nearly exhausted, I husbanded the miserable sum that still remained. . . . The weather was fine, and one evening when it was very hot I decided to sleep out in the public square. I had already settled down on a bench when a priest, who was passing and saw me lying there, came over and asked me if I had nowhere to stay. I confessed my plight, and he seemed touched by it. He sat down beside me, and we talked. His conversation was pleasant, and from what he said I conceived the highest possible opinion of him. . . .

The following is how Churchill wrote in his World War II memoir (this is what propelled him to get a Nobel Prize in Literature) explaining how nearly 400,000 British soldiers (a small fraction was French soldiers) could be evacuated from Dunkirk.

However, very early on the 25th [5/25/1940] a fresh directive was sent from Brauchitsch as the Commander-in-Chief ordering the continuation of the advance by the armour. Rundstedt, fortified by Hitler's verbal agreement, [Hitler visited his headquarter 5/24/40] would have none of it. He did not pass on the order to the Fourth Army commander, Kluge, who was told to continue to husband the panzer divisions. Kluge protested at the delay, but it was not until next day, the 26th, that Rundstedt released them, although even then he enjoined that Dunkirk was not yet itself to be directly assaulted. . . . It is therefore certain that the armour was halted; that this was done on the initiative not of Hitler but of Rundstedt. Rundstedt no doubt had reasons for his view both in condition of the armour and in the general battle, but he ought to have obeyed the formal orders of the Army Command, or at least told them what Hitler had said in conversation. There is general agreement among the German commanders that a great opportunity was lost.

Delicious

When we say ‘delicious’ which is almost always used in describing the foods exclusively. It didn’t escape my notice that when the literary figures use it, it describes almost anything and everything except the foods. I will use many examples to make my point.

In his The Confessions, Jean-Jacques Rousseau did use 'delicious' on food, but it is “food for my thoughts”: Rousseau is brutally honest in saying not only what he did, but also what was in his mind.

Rousseau first met Mme de Warens, a Swiss aristocrat (Rousseau is also from Geneva) at age of 16; she（12 years his senior, dismissed her husband 2 years earlier) took him in under her wings, sort of giving his first education (Rousseau said he was her “pupil”). She eventually initiated an intimate relationship, sharing a bed for many years. Rousseau called her “my Mama”, she him “my little one”.

Rousseau wrote the following paragraph when he was returning to see Mme de Warens, thinking about how kind she treated him and loved him, this “food of my thoughts” evoked a “delicious” imagining.

“I looked on myself as the creature, the pupil, the friend and almost the lover of Mme de Warens. The nice things she had said to me, the slight caresses she had bestowed on me, the tender interest she had seemed to take in me, and her friendly glances, which seemed loving glances to me because they inspired me with love – all this was food for my thoughts as I walked on, and gave me delicious imaginings.”

Rousseau used “delicious” in describing his day-dreams.

I enjoyed none of those delicious day-dreams that had accompanied me on my last trip. . . . My heart throbbed with joy as I drew near to my dear Mamma.

Rousseau also used “delicious” in describing a sight of a place.

I thought for some time of the Borromean Islands, the delicious sight of which had enraptured me; but I found too much ornament and artifice about them for my inhabitants.

George Eliot loved to use “delicious”, and was almost never about foods. Being a doctor I naturaly study the character of Dr Tertius Lydgate in Middlemarch with meticulous attention. The following is how Dr Lydgate and Rosamond first met. I couldn’t have any better word than “delicious” in describing Rosamond’s sensation at that moment.

Rosamond was proud when he entered the room and when he approached her with a distinguished smile, she had a delicious sense that she was the object of enviable homage.

Eliot likes using “delicious” in describing the state of mind. There are many protagonists in Middlemarch, Dorothea Brooke is a major and fascinating one. The following is talking about the relationship between Dorothea and Will Ladislaw, eventually her second husband after the first one died.

In the month, since their parting Dorothea had felt a delicious though sad repose in their relation to each other, as one which was inwardly whole and without blemish.

Eliot used “delicious” described “evenings” in the garden because of the location, the atmosphere and even the odors/scents.

and the evenings were delicious in that quite spot, when the new hay-ricks lately set up were sending forth odors to mingle with the breath of the rich old garden.

I really enjoy reading “Daughter of Empire” by Pamela Hicks, and always want to read one more time. She is the daughter of Mountbatten, the first cousin of Prince Philip (husband of current Queen Elizabeth II), she was the bridesmaid when the Queen got married in 1947. But then again one may not like it that much unless one is an Anglophile.

My mother made “The Man I Love” an overnight hit in England after Gershwin told her how upset he was that it had flopped in the United States. She danced the Charleston with Fred Astaire, and the rumors that Queen Mary didn’t approve of this kind of behavior made the dancing all the more delicious.

Something prohibiting is made more delicious, the same is also true for a stolen kiss. Mark Twain also did the same thing, using “delicious” in describing all sorts of things Tom Sawyer shouldn‘t have done.

He began to think of the fun he had planned for this day, and his sorrows multiplied. Soon the free boys would come tripping along on all sorts of delicious expeditions, and they would make a world of fun of him for having to work—the very thought of it burnt him like fire.

The smell of Madam Chiang Kai-Shek’s perfume is “delicious”, the delicious scent, so to speak”; the following is from The Last Empress by Hannah Pakula.

Christopher Isherwood, traveling in China with W. H. Auden, met Madame Chiang in the late 1930s. He caught her aura exactly: “She could be terrible, she could be gracious, she could be businesslike, she could be ruthless. . . . Strangely enough, I have never heard anybody comment on her perfume. It is the most delicious either of us has ever smelt.”

The writing of Edwardb Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is classic, the following is an example. One can imagine the “most delicious amusements” are pursuits of sensual pleasure, sumptuous meals, and extravagant indulgences.

A capricious prodigality supplied the want of taste and elegance; and whilst Elagabalus lavished away the treasures of his people in the wildest extravagance, his own voice and that of his flatterers applauded a spirit of magnificence unknown to the tameness of his predecessors. To confound the order of seasons and climates, to sport with the passions and prejudices of his subjects, and to subvert every law of nature and decency, were in the number of his most delicious amusements.

The people quitted their favorite amusements for the more delicious pleasure of revenge, rushed in crowds towards a palace in the suburbs, one of the emperor's retirements, and demanded, with angry clamors, the head of the public enemy.

So enrich or spice your writing using “delicious” like a pro (professional writer).

The Hebrew slaves chorus (Va, pensiero) of Verdi's opera Nabucco

Opera Nabucco premiered in 1842.  When Verdi died in 1901, along his funeral's procession in the streets of Milan, people started spontaneous choruses of “Va, pensiero”. One month later, the Verdi's body was transferred to the Musician's Rest Home, Toscanini led a chorus of 820 in “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco. A crowd of 300,000 again spontaneously repeated the chorus of “Va, pensiero.”

The background story of Nabucco (Nebchadnezzar II, the Babylonian King) is that of the plight of Jews during the period of Babylonian captivity after the fall of the First Temple in Jerusalem more than 500 years before the Christ. A New York Times article said “Va, pensiero” is one of the greatest opera chorus, in which “the captured Hebrews sigh in lifting phrases for their lost homeland. The Met [Metroploitan Opera in Lincoln Center] choristers sang it with rich sound and lyrical grace.”

This is from NY Times

When Verdi worked on Nabucco, Italy was simply a bunch of contiguous kingdoms with nothing to unite them other than a common language. Reading the libretto [text] of Nabucco stroke Verdi's nerve as he, like nationalists, was trying to fend off foreign [Austria, France and Spain] domination, longing for the unification of Italy. So in a way, Verdi is a patriotic nationalist composer.

We often said art should be above politics, but there is always exception. The movie Casablanca was released during WWII in 1942, a seemingly anti-Nazi propaganda film, but it turned out to be a timeless classic.

Hebrew slaves chorus: Va pensiero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VejTwFjwVI

The roots of the British Royal Navy and British Empire: King Henry VIII and Roman Emperor Carausius

Henry VIII was both a hero and a villain in the long romantic history of England. Bernard Shaw said Hamlet is “a half dozen characters rolled into one”; Will Duran wrote Henry VIII was fifty-five years old [when the King died], “but he had lived a dozen lives in one.”

Without Henry VIII’s founding of the Trinity College, we might not have Isaac Newton, and without whom, there would be no calculus (although Gottfried Leibniz should share the equal credit), no classical physics and quantum mechanics, and no birth of modern science.

When Henry VIII took reign in 1509, the Spanish and the Portuguese ruled the waves and had the spoils of Asia and South America. It is safe to say that Henry VIII began the British Royal Navy, without which British could not control the sea last century, as U.S. does today, and there wouldn’t be an Empire without sunset.

Sir Walter Raleigh said, “Whosever commands the sea, commands the trade; whosever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.”

Will Durant gave credit to Henry VIII for building the British Royal Navy

In his The Story of Civilization (Volume VI Reformation), Will Durant wrote that Henry VIII “originally destined for an ecclesiastical career, he became something of a theologian, and could quote Scripture to any purpose . . . He took an active part in works of engineering, shipbuilding, fortification, and artillery.”

There are solid evidences that Henry VIII heavily invested on building the fighting vessels equipped with cannons and the shipyards. Mary Rose (so named after Henry VIII’s beloved sister, Mary Tudor. Some said it was named after Virgin Mary, who was then known as “The Mystic Rose”) was the first known battle ship equipped with cannons.

Prince Charles was involved in bringing Henry VIII battle ship to surface

Mary Rose sank in 1545 on her way out to take on the French fleet. Legend had it that Henry VIII witnessed its sinking, which was speculated as the result of the improper installing of the double row cannons.

Mary Rose was successfully salvaged and brought back to the surface along with 17,000 artifacts on October 12, 1982 (see article from NY Times). The wreck was initially found in 1970. The project was operated by Mary Rose Trust, headed by Prince Charles, who himself is a navy man.

I do not recall Churchill ever mentions Henry VIII’s contribution in establishing the British Royal Navy in his A History of English Speaking People, except saying “we must credit Henry’s reign with laying the basis of sea-power . . .” while talking about Elizabethan [Henry VIII's daughter by Anne Boleyn] naval fleet.

Roman general-turn-to-emperor, Carausius

In his The History of the Decline and Fall of Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon gave the credit of the future British naval power and empire to a Roman general-turn-to-emperor, Carausius, by saying “Under his [Carausius] command, Britain, destined in a future age to obtain the empire of the sea, already assumed its natural and respectable station of a maritime power.”

Julius Caesar first invaded Britain in 55 BC and it was just sort of “testing the water”. He came back with more than 600 ships next year, bringing Britain into subjugation to under Roman yoke.

Roman military commander Carausius stationed in Britannica; he usurped power and proclaimed himself a Roman Emperor in Britain in 286 AD. The reason why he could do this with success is that he built a strong naval fleet, and as we know Romans were strong in army and weak in sea power. A great number of Carausius medals and coins are still preserved to this day.

(The following is what Edward Gibbon writing about Emperor Carausius)

Edward Gibbon gave credit to Emperor Carausius for building the first British fleet to rule the sea more than 1700 years ago

When Britain was thus dismembered from the empire, its importance was sensibly felt, and its loss sincerely lamented. The Romans celebrated, and perhaps magnified, the extent of that noble island, provided on every side with convenient harbors; the temperature of the climate, and the fertility of the soil, alike adapted for the production of corn or of vines; the valuable minerals with which it abounded; its rich pastures covered with innumerable flocks, and its woods free from wild beasts or venomous serpents. Above all, they regretted the large amount of the revenue of Britain, whilst they confessed, that such a province well deserved to become the seat of an independent monarchy. During the space of seven years it was possessed by Carausius; and fortune continued propitious to a rebellion supported with courage and ability. The British emperor defended the frontiers of his dominions against the Caledonians of the North, invited, from the continent, a great number of skilful artists, and displayed, on a variety of coins that are still extant, his taste and opulence. . . . His fleets rode triumphant in the channel, commanded the mouths of the Seine and of the Rhine, ravaged the coasts of the ocean, and diffused beyond the columns of Hercules the terror of his name Under his command, Britain, destined in a future age to obtain the empire of the sea, already assumed its natural and respectable station of a maritime power.

The fancy pansy and more

The fringe benefit of our chasing cherry blossom trip at Washington DC and Chevy Chase, MD is that we saw countless pansy flourishing in relative cold, heralding the arrival of spring, and many magnolias in glory.

Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson couldn’t resist the attraction of pansy and we also fall for her beauty.

Ophelia in Hamlet is a doomed innocent life of fragile beauty. Let’s see what she said about pansy. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius who is King Claudius’s counselor. I was never sure about what’s the relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet. They might have fallen in love, but that’s all inferred or self-proclaimed. No wonder Bernard Shaw said “Hamlet is a half dozen characters rolled into one.”

After her father was killed by Hamlet by mistake, the incoherent Ophelia sings songs of mourning, and then distributed the flowers to others on stage; the second flower is pansy (in Act 4 Scene 5).

Ophelia

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.

Pray you, love, remember.

And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts . . .

The name pansy is derived from the French pensee (thought). If one looks carefully one will see its resemblance to a pensive human face (see photo right)

This is the only known picture (technique of daguerreotype in her times) of Emily Dickinson who holds a small bouquet of heartsease (pansy). Emily once sent exquisite pansies “in a bow” with a wonderful little poem to Frances Hodgson Burnett. Her gift of flowers to friends usually came with a poem. In fact, this is how people knew she was a poet as she never published her poems in her life time.

In addition to thought, pansy also signifies faithfulness and modesty. However, when pansy is used as a slang, it insinuates as an effeminate man. We saw these gorgeous pansies at Washington DC, so it is not entirely inappropriate to end this writing by talking politics or politically incorrect language.

While endorsing Hillary Clinton (in Democrat Presidential Primary against then Senator Barack Obama in 2008), Gov. Mike Easley of North Carolina said Mrs. Clinton “makes Rock Balboa (the boxer playing by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky films) look like a pansy,” the governor was probably trying to say Mrs. Clinton is as strong as Rocky Balboa, not a quitter, but some criticized the governor using an anti-gay slur of “an effeminate male homosexual”.

Magnolia in glory

The fringe benefit of our chasing cherry blossom trip at Washington DC and Chevy Chase, MD in early April is that we saw countless pansy flourishing in relative cold, heralding the arrival of spring, and many magnolias in glory.

rough and tough carpels

Dick Figlar said of magnolia, “the flower, the shape, the scent, the leaves, if you wanted to invent the perfect tree, you’d have to work pretty dam hard to make a better one.” Being the president of Magnolia Society International, Mr. Figlar could be biased. But magnolia has been around for 95 million years (one NY Times article said 65 million years); it evolved before bees appeared on Earth; so it evolved to adapt to the beetles as pollinators. One can see and feel the rough and tough carpels (see photo above) that can stand the crawling beetles.

My evolutionary theory is that a chanced mutation leading to a hardened carpel that can stand the beetles and thus survived and thrived, propagating the magnolia trees with the same characteristics. It is safe to say that a species surviving 95 million years has successfully gone through many evolutionary changes to adapt.

magnolia in glory in our backyard

magnolia in glory in our backyard

Shortly after our returning from DC, the magnolia in our backyard close to our garden began to bloom (see photos). Katy said there is a fragrance coming from magnolia flowers, I initially thought she was too imaginative, but staying closer I did smell a lemony scent.

It is good timing to talk about the Magnolia Lane in the Augusta National Golf Club in face of Tiger. Woods’ unbelievable storied comeback as a “Masters” in the green jacket today. This triumphal come-from-behind win took place at Augusta National, Georgia, where it boasts sixty huge magnolia trees at its entrance. Magnolia is also the state flower of Mississippi.

Magnolia Lane at Augusta National Golf Club

Magnolia is the symbol of the South. One can see a magnolia wreath was placed at the foot of a statue of Strom Turnmond, the late senator from South Carolina.

A New York Times article wrote, “magnolia may be best known as the sultry backdrops of Faulkner stories,” I cannot elaborate as I never read William Faulkner. About 15 years ago, after reading his Nobel speech, I was very impressed, I picked up Faulkner’s, but had to put it down as it was too difficult for me. I may try his The Sound and the Fury or As I lay dying one of these days, so I may know why this most famous Southern writer is called Magnolia Master.