Category Archives: Titles Worth Reading

Blogging for good health!, This -n- That, Titles Worth Reading

Rolling The Genetic Dice

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Did you get Dad’s green eyes? How about Mom’s curly hair?

It’s always interesting to see how children turn out – who they will favor and what they will look like.

All lighthearted musings for most of us.

What if there was a 50/50 chance you could have inherited an incurable, always fatal disease from one of your parents?

What if that parent didn’t clearly show anything very out of the ordinary and didn’t even know they had that disease?

Would you even want to know if you inherited it?

That’s just a few of the endless questions family members of loved ones with Huntington’s Disease (HD) ask themselves.

With approximately 41,000 Americans symptomatic for HD and 200,000 at risk of having inherited the disease, there is a chance you might not know much about this disease.

Because of two of my new author friends, Sarah Foster and Lori Jones, my eyes have been opened to the poignant minefield of how this disease can unfold in individuals and in the families that surround them.

Reading this quote from Spared: A Memoir of Risk and Resolve by Lori Jones, you can begin to appreciate the weight of an HD diagnosis:

“Often called “the world’s cruelest disease,” according to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, HDSA, Huntington’s disease is described as, “having ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s simultaneously.”

This article from HDSA contains part of Sarah Foster’s story:

Sarah Foster has written two books, Me and HD (2015) and This Is Me Smiling (2025). In both, she holds nothing back in recounting her decision to get tested for HD; how her diagnosis confirmed her mother’s own – untested – diagnosis, and the ever-changing landscape of living with HD.

When Sarah shared this article from the BBC:

I joined the jubilation!

To quote:

“An emotional research team became tearful as they described how data shows the disease was slowed by 75% in patients.

It means the decline you would normally expect in one year, would take four years after treatment – giving patients decades of ,”good quality life,” Prof. Sarah Tabrizi told BBC News.

The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given during 12 to 18 hours of delicate brain surgery.”

Clearly, with this lengthy brain surgery, treatment will be incredibly expensive – but there now is a treatment they can work with!

Yay, science!

Yay, to funding researchers!

If you know of someone with HD or not, both author’s stories deserve to be read and understood because their stories are a part of our collective humanity.

In health –

Deidre


Blogging for good health!, Stress Reduction, This -n- That, Titles Worth Reading

Finally! The Book Signing!

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Telling the Story!

But first – a message from Deidre and Sheree. We thought we could do it. Get enough posts written and ready to publish in advance of Sheree’s major surgery and my book release to carry us through the thick of things. There’s a saying about “best laid plans” …

What was not on the radar was a life-threatening surgical complication that necessitated yet another serious surgery and lengthy recovery for Sheree.

Thankfully, she seems to finally be on the mend. I can tell – Sheree’s practically begging me to send her some more posts to put in.

So, here we go – a short message of a recent event for me and a hint of what is to come for our foodtalk4you readers.

During a recent book signing event, I shared with a roomful of people from my neighborhood how I came to be a caregiver and then an author. Hint – the teacher in me could still teach others; but this time it is through books and the speaking presentations I am able to give. The messages I share come from having been a caregiver to a loved one.

It was tough selecting just the right passages from my latest book, Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions, that would both give an idea of what was inside the book and also tell a cohesive story.

I think I was able to paint the story correctly, and the audience seemed engaged and excited to implement the coping strategies and techniques they heard about, practiced together, and will finish reading about in their copies of my book.

After door prizes, I signed a lot of books!

That’s my story.

Now, what’s to come for you, my dear readers, will include several opportunities for you to learn about some new releases from authors you might not know.

I have reviewed so many new releases these past few months and several of them are superb. I will be sharing books containing stories of resilience, struggles and recovery, hope found in grief, and so much more!

There will be a Reader’s Corner post every so often, interspersed with our usual array of health tips, recipes, and some of the latest on how to bring your best self to each new day.

In health –

Deidre

A note from Sheree: I just wanted to thank everyone who thought about me, sent good wishes, and prayed for my recovery. I believe I am on the healing side of things, which has proven to be much longer than anyone expected. I appreciate every one! God bless …

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

The Birthday Garden

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A cake with candles? Awesome!

And people who sing happy birthday? Fabulous!

But a garden? A birthday garden?

This was a new idea for me and was a gift from a trusted resource to mark my own recent birthday.

Our reflections of where we are now, and where we want to be in the future, often exist just in those few seconds it takes to catch a deep breath to blow out those candles on the cake.

The Birthday Garden is a tool developed by Julia Poernbacher, M.Sc., which is a metaphor she uses to reflect on the past year, celebrating personal growth, and to set intentions for the future.

Here’s a summary of the steps:

Look at your garden

With closed eyes, take a few deep breaths, and visualize your unique garden space:

What does it look like? Is it thriving or does it need care?

What’s growing? The flowers and plants represent your successes, joys, and potentials

How about weeds? They represent your challenges, habits, and things that no longer serve you.

Are there areas that need more attention or feel neglected?

Celebrate the harvest

The ‘fruits’ of your harvest are your successes, the moments of fulfillment through experiences and relationships of the last year.

Identify three significant successes or joyful experiences.

Reflect on what helped those successes bloom: what actions, people, or circumstances played a part?

Reflect on what those successes taught you and how they made you feel.

Pull the weeds

Maintenance is a part of every garden’s upkeep. Consider the habits, limiting beliefs, people, or challenges that may have held back your growth, no longer serving you.

Reflect on three things you are ready to release that have held back your growth. Perhaps, create a releasing ritual to help you let go of them. Consider writing them down on papers and holding each one close to your chest as you reflect on how it has affected you. Acknowledge its role in your life and how it made you feel. Then, with a deep breath in and out, set that paper down away from you.

Plant new seeds

Choose what you want to plant in your garden for the new year ahead.

What personal qualities do you want to develop, and what are the exact steps you will take to nurture them?

Reflect on three goals, qualities, or intentions for your garden, aligning your ‘seed’ with your action steps to keep it alive.

Tending your garden

As you create a plan for success, consider how you will maintain your garden through the coming year, asking yourself:

What goal am I growing? What habits will help me? How will I stay accountable? Who or what can support my efforts? How will I know that I have succeeded?

A vision statement

Write one that summarizes your over-arching goals and keep it somewhere you can see a reminder.

For example: “This year, I nurture a more-balanced approach to my efforts and interests. Being mindful that change takes time, I will celebrate the small victories all year long!”

In health –

Deidre

It’s 100% live! Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions is now available both in print and as an eBook! Pre-orders have been delivered today by Amazon! Get yours today HERE.

This has been a flower in my garden that has taken extra love, attention, and time for it to blossom! Please share this helpful resource with caregivers you know. The emotional tangle family caregivers experience is often the last topic to be addressed when, in fact, it should be top of the list!

If you have read it – Thank you! Please leave a helpful review on Amazon to help others discover a path to resilience in caregiving.

Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

Greetings Healthy Deviant!

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Strange title for this week’s post. Healthy Deviant.

But really, it’s why I got into the business of writing this blog and my first book.

I saw the need to be a healthy deviant from the evolving norms of health in my country, and anywhere we had influence – especially about food.

That’s just about everywhere!

As we look around, we can see different norms in the population than what our parents saw.

Quoting from Pilar Gerasimo’s book, The Healthy Deviant: The Rule Breaker’s Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World, the ‘norm’ today looks like this:

50% of U.S. adults are diagnosed with a chronic illness

68% are overweight or obese

70% are taking at least one prescription drug (for folks over 60, the average is FIVE)

80% are mentally or emotionally ‘not flourishing’

97.3% are not maintaining healthy habits (decent nutrition, adequate exercise, not smoking, healthy body composition)

It takes concerted effort to not become part of this norm.

The options that surround us hardly inspire health. Interspersed between endless commercials pedaling drugs with the promise to solve the ills of all the ‘normal’ chronic diseases are:

ads for double-dosed perfumed laundry products that will smell ‘so good’ longer,

ads for fast food dripping with cheese-like substances and deep fried accoutrements

and over-sized portions of restaurant fare that would clock in with calories exceeding what is needed in a day

What to do?

Resist!

Yes, we might join a picket line somewhere; but the resistance that we’re talking about happens with every choice we make.

Where is your food sourced?

Is it highly processed – coming from a box with many ingredients?

Are you making choices in restaurants which include fresh vegetables and salads?

Are you sharing your over-sized portion or taking half of your portion home with you?

Are you choosing unscented versions of your laundry products?

Are you moving regularly throughout the day?

Are you exercising?

Are you wearing sunscreen and shading your face with a hat?

The list goes on.

Quote of the day from Jiddu Krishnamurti:

“It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to that sick society.”

In healthy deviance –

Deidre

Remember to pick up your copy of Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions on Amazon! You can find it here. Both the eBook and print book are specially priced for this introductory period. Once you finish reading it, please leave a helpful review on Amazon to assist others in understanding how they can benefit. Thank you!

Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

Oh, And One More Thing …

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This One Thing

I just learned how to increase my endurance by 240X!

No potions. No app to install. No purchases necessary.

Intrigued?

On just two pages of a new book I’m reading about techniques used to develop your best self, I felt like I had been given the golden key that unlocks the treasure chest of all knowledge.

It starts with rats. I know – rats …

The author, while opposed to many aspects of animal testing, related the findings of an old study.

Back in the 1950’s, a Harvard-trained researcher named Curt Richter, conducted some studies through Johns Hopkins.

He wanted to see how long rats could swim under two different conditions.

In the first one, he let rats swim as long as they could before they drowned. They lasted fifteen minutes.

I know – lab studies …

In the second one, rats were allowed to swim up to the point where they looked like they were about to give up – around their threshold of fifteen minutes. At that point, they were removed from the water, toweled off, and allowed to briefly rest before they were returned to the water.

How long do you think they were able to swim?

Maybe just a few minutes? Another fifteen?

Shockingly, they swam for sixty – yes, 60 HOURS!

Two hundred and forty times longer!

What?

What had changed for those rats?

The researcher concluded that they had experienced one simple thing: HOPE.

They had experienced the possibility of a better future. They ‘knew’ there was a chance of that better future, and they kept swimming and swimming towards it.

How’s your HOPE meter doing these days?

Hope is believing our future will be better than our present. Take that away, and we succumb like the poor rats in group one. Hopeless.

Whatever the muck we may be mired in, if we can sustain our HOPE, then our endurance is strengthened.

How do we create or find hope for a better future?

We need to SEE a better future and have GOALS that inspire us.

We need to believe that WE CAN take the steps needed to make our goals happen.

We need to have a PLAN to move forward with those steps – and be flexible enough to modify our plans to include different approaches that will ensure success.

Bringing your best self to each day’s starting line means you are committed to a brighter, better future.

You are going to show up!

With HOPE!

For success!

In health –

Deidre

NEXT Tuesday, August 19th, will mark the 100% full launch of Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions!

Yippee! Those of you who have pre-ordered, the eBook version will be ready to read that day! There will be lots of book promotional sites advertising the eBook on sale at $0.99.

In the meantime, the paperback is currently also at a discounted introductory price, so it’s a great time to pick one up for yourself or someone else who could use a helping hand with their caregiving emotions.

The honest, helpful reviews of readers are pure gold to authors, and I thank each of you who have chosen to take a minute to do that. Just a sentence or two can make a big difference. Thanks!

Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, Titles Worth Reading

Promises Kept

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Do you keep your promises?

I remember when, as kids, we would ‘pinky swear!’

Boy, that was the real deal!

As we grew older, we learned our word was our bond.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Promises kept to others.

But, what about making promises to yourself?

Do you hold them to the same standards? Or do you think you’re not worth it?

“Oh, I said I wasn’t going to eat that whole big serving next time we came to this restaurant, and look … oops!”

“I said I was going to exercise today and look … oops.”

These and similar statements are probably followed with negative self-talk – which chips away at our self-esteem.

I was at a workshop recently having to do with bringing our best selves to greet life each day.

One participant said, one area she wanted to work on, was in bringing her best self to herself.

She realized – while she was keeping promises to others, she was not keeping promises she made to herself.

We’ve all had an ah-ha moment with that one.

This is a gentle nudge to remind all of us that if we want to do well – bringing our best selves into each day – then we also need to bring our best selves to ourselves.

Now, on to tidbits –

Are we still making sure we are moving around each day?

At the start of our longevity series, I shared some statistics about how regular daily movement – coupled with exercise – is the number one thing leading the way to a healthier, longer life – even if you have ‘good genes.’

A new meta-analysis of 85 studies has clarified just how critical physical activity can be. I quote from Chris Kresser: “Adults who were consistently active, had up to 40% lower risk of dying from any cause, and a 30-40% reduction in cardiovascular mortality. Even better, starting exercise later in life still

provided significant benefits—a 20-25% lower risk of death compared to those who remained sedentary.”

He concludes, “From a Functional Medicine perspective, this supports movement as foundational to healthspan, not just lifespan. And while structured workouts help, what seems to matter most is consistency and enjoyment. Activities you love and can sustain—especially those done outdoors with others—are the most likely to stick.”

Computer time has ramped up for me during this early book launch. Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions is the topic of many an email and post on social media platforms!

So, my partner and I are inspiring each other as we do our online exercise routines each day as a blessed break from sitting in front of the screen. And, when the temps and 95% humidity decrease, we take walks!

It’s all because I promised I would. Pinky swear!

In health – Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Recipes, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

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It’s too darn hot!

Ninety-five percent humidity can take its toll!

It is summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere, and finding cooler ingredients and cooking methods is a priority.

Got meat? Grill it outside, please – no added heat in the kitchen!

For the rest of the meal? I keep turning to salads.

Cool, crisp, full of veggies salads.

No label reading is needed for these whole foods.

Until …

Maybe we think using bottled dressing would be an okay shortcut?

Truth be told – I have succumbed to the sirens of bottled dressing from time to time – even the pricey ‘good ones’ touting no chemicals – but they break all the rules for homemade goodness and freshness.

I know folks who always splash on just enough oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to do the job.

That sort of works for me in the winter, but …

Lately, I’ve been into whole meal salads featuring high protein, gluten-free pastas!

First, we need some flavorful salad dressing to pull it all together!

So, grab a small mixing bowl and add as many of these ingredients as possible – I didn’t have the shallot, or enough lemon juice and it turned out fine!

Dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ white wine or champagne vinegar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon fig preserves (honey will do nicely)

1 small shallot finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup mixed fresh herbs: dill, oregano, basil

Salt and pepper to taste

A sprinkle of chili flakes, if desired

Whisk the ingredients well and set aside.

Then, cook 1 lb. or 1 box of salad pasta of choice to al dente. I like using chickpea or red lentil pasta for the protein boost, which makes this salad a full meal.

Once cooked to al dente, drain the pasta and toss with the dressing so all those yummy flavors can coat each piece!

Assemble a montage of ingredients in an over-sized salad bowl such as:

Two heads of Romaine lettuce, sliced

½ of a head of Radicchio, sliced

A sampling of nitrate-free salami, pepperoni – I use turkey based when available – sliced

1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

A variety of olives, torn or sliced

Bell pepper, chopped

2-4 Tablespoons of sliced pepperoncini

A cup or more of fresh basil leaves, torn

A cup of mozzarella cheese balls – these may be halved or quartered if they are not mini size

A cup of provolone cheese, cubed

Shaved Parmesan to taste

As a concept recipe, I never always have all the ingredients, so types and quantities of ingredients will vary.

Once the salad is assembled and tossed, add the pasta with its dressing and toss thoroughly.

Served fresh with the pasta still warm, or cold from the refrigerator, this is a satisfying meal!

If we have some grilled meat, I will thinly slice the hot meat and arrange the slices on top of each serving of salad.

Bring on the iced sangria!

In health –

Deidre

Dear Readers:

Be a surprise blessing to a friend or family member who is a caregiver by sharing this link with them to Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions. Better yet, buy a copy for them as a gift! Also, the eBook is on pre-order for $0.99 with delivery on August 19th!

Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

Longevity Part 4

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Getting your zzz’s on?

Well, I couldn’t wait. I have sleep data! Do you?

At home, we’re both wearing our Apple watches to bed – remember to charge them before retiring – just saying!

We feel like Monty Python in search of the Holy Deep Non-REM Sleep Grail!

As mentioned last week, the deep sleep part of our sleep cycle is important for healing, repair, and “taking out the trash” – ridding our bodies of metabolic waste. Scientists are seeing a correlation between decreased minutes spent during deep sleep and a buildup of beta amyloid plaque as seen in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).

AD is a complex neuro-degenerative disease that is being studied from so many angles – and connecting dots from different correlations may nudge us toward a cure and, hopefully, prevention.

The goal of examining our sleep cycles here at FoodTalk4You is to better understand sleep’s restorative power — so we can improve our sleep quality and potentially prevent disease.

Let’s summarize what the sleep cycles are that we normally go through approximately every 90 minutes:

Stage 1: This brief, drowsy stage marks the transition to sleep, when your breathing and heartbeat start to slow down.

Stage 2: In this stage of light sleep, your breathing and heart rate slow even more. Your temperature drops and your muscles relax. Stage 2 sleep lasts longer in each cycle throughout the night. About half of your total sleep every night is spent in this stage.

Stage 3: Stage 3 sleep represents the deepest sleep of the sleep cycle, when brain waves are at their slowest in frequency and highest in amplitude. Also called non-REM sleep.

REM/Rapid Eye Movement: As the name suggests, your eyes move quickly beneath your eyelids during REM sleep. Your brain activity is like that of a person who is awake. However, your muscles usually do not move. Experts believe most of our dreams happen during REM sleep.

It’s normal to become awake at various intervals during the night. We might not remember having woken up and we ideally fall right back to sleep.

The Apple Watch labels its categories: Awake, Core (Stage 2), REM, and Deep (Stage 3/non-REM)

Check out how these stages ideally look:

Here’s how that translates to an Apple Watch:

Practically drooling with anticipation, I looked at my first night’s recorded results:


Is 45 minutes enough deep sleep? Am I doing my brain any good, please?

Well, grasshopper – not so much.

We need around 25% of our 7-ish hours of sleep time to be deep sleep – or 105 minutes. It’s totally okay to have our deep sleep happen over the course of several cycles.

Which begs the question – how do I increase my deep sleep time? Tell me – I’ll do it!

It boils down to sleep hygiene: what we do prior to retiring for sleep and what our sleep environment is.

That, we’ll get into next week.

Wait! What?

Yes, this is the cliffhanger that encourages you to come back next week for more! Until then, let’s keep collecting our data.

Until then, a word from our sponsor:

Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions is in the hands of my launch team for reading and leaving reviews on Amazon! Let me know if you would like to help by leaving a comment below or by emailing me at Deidre@deidreedwards.com and I will send you all the details – no purchase required! Reviews are the key ingredient to getting books before the eyes of those who are looking for them.

Now, how am I supposed to sleep?

In health –

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Holiday Celebrations, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

New Year With A Better You

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Here we are. Decorations are still up, and anticipation is in our hearts for the New Year.

I hope there is a special sparkle in the air for you.

Many of us well-seasoned adults can even grab hold of that pure childlike awe and wonder from time to time throughout the holiday season – that is, if we are not in the throes of grief, strife, or trauma.

Speaking with a friend recently, I was reminded how the second year of grief can be even worse than the first.

The first year after a grief, we find ourselves stumping along, mostly numb, just going through the motions as we mark ‘the firsts’ – first birthday, first anniversary, first Thanksgiving, first holidays – first everything without whomever or whatever we lost.

If that was not hard enough, we sort of wake up in the second year to the new reality of our situation, and the hurt changes to something much more real, painful, and permanent.

We often hear about “getting over” something – which creates an image of sucking up, chest out, marching boldly forth, oblivious to our past pain – but should that be our goal?

Trauma of any kind affects our total mind, body, and spirit long after the event.

What we are discovering is that resilience and personal growth come when we stop fighting to get over something, and start discovering what lessons those experiences are imparting, that will carry us forward into the future.

Which returns us to the concepts from the December 3rd post: Before releasing something, we need to embrace it first.

Embrace to acknowledge, authenticate, and validate what was experienced. Then we release the pain, taking with us the lessons learned, and then filling our spirits with freshness to recharge.

Even missed opportunities can be processed this way – they are not failures and do not need to negatively color our self-esteem. They can show us where our boundaries are and where we need to grow.

When the cloud of trauma lifts, we feel light and liberated. It can feel like magic when that happens, but it is a process and a lifelong journey.

Use New Year’s Eve as a starting point for exploring lessons learned and how those lessons will help you take your next steps into the new year.

Are you filling up your blessings jar? I am, and I am looking forward to the certain magic that comes when I dump my 2024 blessings out on the table to relive each one in the early New Year!

Now, that’s magic!

In health –

Deidre  

PS- While printing costs are now higher for the latest full color edition of Toolkit for Caregivers, I have reduced the price to make it easier for family caregivers to buy. Spread the love by sharing this link, or better yet, buy it for someone else who could benefit from the helpful information. Thanks.

Blogging for good health!, This -n- That, Titles Worth Reading

Let Me Introduce Our New Edition!

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It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you my newly renovated website, deidreedwards.com!

It’s been a long time coming and I would love for you to take a look around.

In it, you will find information about me, all my books, this blog, podcast appearances, speaking engagements, and contact information.

The book links will take readers directly to Amazon; people can subscribe to foodtalk4you and visit the blog; and all free downloads associated with each book can be accessed.

The new Caregiver Toolkit Bundle makes its debut, offering caregivers additional resources to increase confidence, boost morale, and organize their days. This new bundle includes:

  1. Caregiver Affirmations Audio, to set your mind at ease, increase confidence, and gain a sense of renewed strength in just five minutes a day.

2. In this Moment of Quiet, a downloadable adult coloring book, beautifully aligns with the messages in the affirmation’s audio – providing you with contemplative readings and journaling opportunities to help balance, reflect, and unwind.

3. Customizable templates for the Two Calendar System recommended in this book are designed exclusively for recording patient details and keeping track of your caregiver breaks, along with who is covering for you.

4. Medication record templates for administering multiple, monthly medications and for special times when there are hourly doses.

Please let me know what you think of the new look and feel of deidreedwards.com.

By the way, when you follow the link in my website that leads to the sales page in Amazon for Toolkit for Caregivers, click on the blue lettering in the banner that says, “see all formats and editions.”

The side window that opens will show you two print versions – one priced at $17.99 and another at $24.99. The second one features a full-color interior which provides the best reading experience. I am exploring the possibility of dropping the black and white interior option; but currently, that’s what we have.

FYI, the spiral bound version is my book but has been modified by someone else after purchase to create it.

In health –

Deidre

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