What do you know about Organics?

A quiz about Organic *

1. Organic produce is grown with little or no fertilizers. True or False. (Trick question. Think. Not all fertilizers will actually kill you. Some just really stink.)

2. Organic means, that no antibiotics or hormones were fed to the livestock sold, as food. True or False? (Geesh. Do they think we are that dumb?)

3. Organic produce is completely pesticide-free. True or False? (Again, another trick question. Not all chemicals are going to fry your insides slowly.)

4. Vitamins and mineral supplements are allowed to be fed to poultry and livestock raised as organic. True or False? (Oh come on…feeding plants vitamins is a whole lot cheaper than hiring Billy Blanks to get them on a work program.)

5. Any animal treated with medication cannot be sold as organic. True or False? (Oh alas, they think the organic crowd has no brains? Who wants to eat poultry on Prozac? There has got to be a law about that? Okay, well, let me rethink that…maybe a chicken should be on Prozac.)

6. Studies show no significant flavor difference between organically grown and conventionally grown foods. True or False? (Somehow, I don’t think taste is the main attraction for eating organic. I mean, would you believe someone goes around saying to himself, “Oh this broccoli filled with pesticides is so tasty I could never choose the organic.” No. I don’t think so. You choose organic because that is what you want.)

7. Organically produced foods cost more because they cost more to produce. True or False? (Well, hardy, hardy, har – they cost more because someone figured out that they are worth more, so it’s big business to buy food that actually might not kill you as fast and even be good for you!….ooops, I kind of gave that one away. Sorry.)

8. Organic produce is clean and ready to eat. True or False? (Well, now that depends on where you get it. If a mommy hands it to you in the kitchen, you would answer ‘yes’ …but if we buy it in a store…oh duh, now what do you think? Ooops, sorry again.)

Okay – if you are stumped for the answers “1. False. Manure, compost and other organic wastes are used to fertilize crops. 2. True 3. False. Farmers are allowed to use chemicals found in naturally in the environment such as sulfur or copper. 4. True

5. True 6. True 7. True 8. False.”

*from The Palm Beach Post (1/25/07) –Today Section E. Reference from: “American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, Revised & Updated 3^rd Edition by Robert Larson Duyff (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)…TCPalm.com --

(--- however, the parenthesis are mine).

Who is Dr. Oz?

I mentioned Dr. Oz in a recent post and I should have provided a link because he is a very interesting doctor. He has provided some good, no-nonsense, straight forward information IMO regarding good health via television and radio and books.

He has teamed up with Dr. Roizen sometimes, and they have hooked up with Oprah on television.

Dr. Oz is on Oprah's satellite radio show. The information he clues us in on the workings of the body is very informative.

(Thank you Mommy22ss for pointing out that I left that information out! -- Miss Roxie)

It's in the details

1. I woke up at a decent hour. Got a load of laundry done, read with Madam Blueberry, and totally forgot what else of the morning went on.

2. Jacob and I went to the park. He brought the park home with him in the form of dirt on a boy in layers.

3. When I came home I took a nap. I could not believe how tired I was. I didn't think I played that hard at the park, but I must have.

4. I spoke with my sister on the phone this afternoon and from the conversation about someone else of which I am concerned, and I thought about something -- people sometimes forget about the message of forgiveness. They forget that forgiveness is bigger than the sin ever was. Forgiveness is like White Out.

5. I went to see The Lettermen tonight. They were really good, but I didn't remember they had actually had so many hit songs! I mean like a kagillion! When I got home, Madam B asked me what did they sing. I told her Unchained Melody, which a lot of people don't know the title but know the song; I sang a few bars and she remembered. Got that familiar, "Oh yeah! Oh yeah!" But that was it. After that, song after song, there was only laughter from her because she recognized nothing else. And I was singing now so badly because I was laughing.

Now, I really don't know who sang Unchained Melody first. On this blog there is a story of the song and how it came to be. But no mention of The Lettermen.

And I searched around, and as of yet, now I'm not sure who actually recorded it first as a hit.

I always like to know the story behind songs. And the stories behind books and stories. The back stories. I always like to know them. I guess I have this thing for mystery and truth.

6. My brother gave us a ride home from the concert in his convertible. I was amazed at how good my hair looked when I came home! I mean, really, it looked like it had been professionally done! All that time spent on fixing hair, when all we have to do is ride around town for 20 minutes at 45 miles an hour in a car with the top down!

7. I am committing myself to more prayer time. I need it. I'm still frustrated with my physical state and I can feel some unhappiness about it coming on. But there is just too much going on in my life, and my families lives, that I just don't have time to feel sorry for myself right now even though I feel like I want too.

8. Bad breath. Some people have bad breath. I've asked my closest people to tell me if I have bad breath. They think I am being obsessive. I'm not. There are men bagging groceries and ladies working who have bad breath. It's a turn off. Find a way to check as no one has the nerve to tell you. I realize this probably reveals a shallow part of me, but I'll take that risk. Floss people. Use a mouth wash or rinse, rinse, rinse. Change your tooth brush every three months. Actually, Doctor Oz says every 30 days!! He says your toothbrush can carry e-coli!!

Still moving in

I told myself when we moved that I would give myself a year to get settled in. I’ve got to remember that. It gets frustrating some days.

This weekend we emptied out the storage shed that three of us have been sharing. That means, the sense of order I had here is gone. It can be overwhelming should I allow it, but I shall try not.

I have boxes in my living room, dining room, front porch, spare room, and on a trailer outside. I’ll be having to go through them and revisit my life.

There is only a couple of things missing that I’m aware of – but I have made do without them. So what is in those boxes?? A lot of it is pictures, and things of the past – oh dear.

But oh well, I will deal with it.

This weekend we continued on with trying to figure out new ways to live in a very small house. We bought a new organizer thingy for the laundry room. It is a unit thingy consisting of three bags for dirty laundry and a shelf and a pole for hanging clothes. It has to go in front of a window, so I suppose that might violate some law of esthetics or something, but we will survive. I doubt Architectural Digest will be showing up any time soon.

On the first week of February we are having a huge yard sale. I’m selling all my dishes. Yes, I am. I would like new dishes, as I’ve not had new dishes since we got married in 1982. The dishes I own have been gifted to me by someone else or are pass alongs, so by golly, I’m selling them all and getting some new dishes! Sometimes I think I am crazy.

Ending another week

1. Being a coach has it's benefits. My sis/in/law has joined Weight Watchers and I have become her coach. I have an interest in eating correctly and breaking all these bad habits I have created in my life for the reasons that I eat food, so this is kind of right up my alley.

Like today, she was ready to 'eat' because she said she 'felt' hungry. Well, it was almost noon, so it's lunch time, right - reminded her of that - and then asked what she had had for the morning meal and it was lacking in protein, so suggested a very healthy and light lunch -- sliced turkey wrapped in a large lettuce leaf with green pepper, red pepper, sprig of basil, small slice of cheese if you need it, tomatoe, black olives (few) and even a slice of onion should you desire. Yay. It worked out for everyone and I snacked on grapes.

2. Snacking can be good. Put out good snacking things like grapes and strawberries, and raw veggies. It sounds simple, right? But you would be surprised how many people just don't do this and end up having a show down with every carb in the house!!

3. We ate in an Italian Restaurant last night. My husband's choice. And I was so, so tempted to order something pasta and white sauce with heavy cream from that menu -- but when I asked the waitress about a 'shrimp and tortellini alla vodka sauce', she informed me, "It's in heavy cream. Heavy, Heavy cream." And on that note, she looked me straight in the eye and I found my sister in disclipline.

I ordered a Greek Salad (it was wonderful) and a bowl of Pasta Fagioli. Okay, so I got pasta! But the soup was excellent and seemed better than heavy, heavy cream.

4. I still make my green smoothie every day. I still take my Holy Basil (I think that stuff works). And I still am not allowed to exercise for another 4 weeks. Bummer.

I feel trapped. I don't like this feeling of being restricted and dealing with pain should I 'cross some line' of movement. It's very frustrating. Even though I know I have no right to complain because there is always someone who worse off, I know this. Still. It's frustrating.

I'll have to figure this out.

5. We saw the movie Invincible tonight. It's a story based on the Vincient Papale (Pa-pal-lee) a 30 year old bartender, born and raised in Philadelphia, who got a chance to play football with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The new coach was desperate for players and held an open try out. It was touch and go for Vince, but the coach signed him on because he had heart and character and thought he could put some life back in the team and the feeling of the city. Apparently, he did. It really was a feel good movie. Not a bad family movie either.

6. I still have things to do from my last weeks list. Things don't ever seem to go as I plan them, but I still think planning them is best, or else - my gosh - who would know what would happen!?

7. I did start my garden! I have basil, oregano and some lettuce. I can't tell what kind of lettuce it is. The container just said, "lettuce." Good enough for me.

8. If my life were a movie, I would say the cast is turning out to be very interesting, very loving, very funny and a good group of people. The plot, however -- still a mystery.

May these young men survive

If you follow the news at all, you are aware of the return of two boys that were missing. One was missing for 4 years, and one was missing for 4 days.

I watched Oprah today and cried. I feel so for both sets of parents. I remember when Shawn Hornbeck went missing.

I cannot imagine the heartache. My prayers are that these boys can be/will be successful in their future life.

Shawn said today in the interview on Oprah that he comes from a Christian family and that he was praying every night for his family to find him. Today on the show, I hope he felt the love the audience tried to give him.

10 Things that (also) mean absolutely nothing (still) except for number 10

1. The weather is affecting my mood. I am melancholy and so is the weather.
2. I should go for a walk. I can’t seem to make myself do that.
3. I was reading the newspaper today, The Stuart News, and it’s full of typos. They must have no proofreader worth their salt.
4. I thought I had my three days off planned out. Things didn’t work out like I planned. Firstly, I only have two days off …then the weather made me melancholy.
5. A lady who was rude to me at the pharmacist has decided to be really nice to me all of a sudden. Today she told me the long story about her old cat and her new cat. – You see, one day I was there and picked up my prescriptions, and I said, “are you sure you charged me for both of them?” She didn’t really like being questioned, but upon further examination of the situation, she realized that she had not charged me for one of them. She never said a word, just corrected the mistake. Now, today, she tells me that my driver license picture is very good and all about her cats.
6. I need to loose 5 pounds according to me. Actually, it’s just my middle. Dr. Oz has informed us that is the omentum.
7. I gave up wine for two weeks. And eating at night. (Ha Ha – these are two of my pleasures so we’ll see how long it lasts. So far, two nights.)
8. I’m impressed that Oprah started that girls’ school in Africa. I’m sure there will be some bad press about it.
9. I can’t believe that people still care about whether or not Britney Spears was drunk, stoned or tired on New Years Eve. My gosh, people, get over it. Don’t buy that junk. Just read it in the check out line for heavens sakes.

10. Did you know that you can major in being a Clown? Check out this list under Miscellaneous, 4 down from the top – I’m not kidding “Clown” ….(if the list doesn't show up - click on Child Related Careers on the left column --)

Not for Human Consumption

My sister is a produce manager at a major grocery store. She encounters many different and unique situations.

Recently a woman called her frantic with fear! My sister had to do some research, but she was finally able to tell the woman she would live.

Here's what happened - did you ever buy those little prechopped veggies? They come in a plastic container all ready to go. This particular one the lady on the phone had chosen is called 'trinity mix' ... three veggies together, onions, peppers and celery.

Seems the lady just opened the package and dumped them in her soup. Her soup was wonderful and she ate a couple of bowls before she realized that she had dumped that little "not for human consumption" blotter that absorbs the excess moisture from the veggies into her soup! She was frantic.

That is what the blotter says, "Not for Human Consumption" ...so she panicked upon rememebering this, called the store and my sister took the call. After making several phone calls, my sister found out the ladies health was not in jeopardy.

I thought it was kind of humorous that in trying to save yourself a few steps, you could end up in the emergency room. But what am I saying? Don't most accidents happen in the home?

Most of us spend our lives as if we had another one in the bank. ~Ben Irwin

Monday Monday

I just found out I'm off for at least three days this week. Wow. I have so much to do; I'm thrilled. Now I am wondering, realistically, how much I will actually get done! This will be challenging.

1. I have Madam Blueberry's 2nd semester schedule to formally write up.
2. Set up Madam B's computer.
3. Put many things on shelves.
4. Get ready for a garage sale on February 3rd. (My sister is law is telling me, "we need to get together and price these things out." And I'm thinking it will work like this, "This box - Each item - 50 cents." To me, that's the key to a successful garage sale!
5. Line some shelves. I love doing this. It's so nice after you are finished.
6. I have bookwork to do with a deadline of January 31st.
7. Choose a book to read. I'm readying nothing! What a bummer.
8. Ummmm, I'll add more later, I'm sure.
9. oh, write a review ....

Right now, my phone is ringing ....

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. ~George Washington Carver

So you think it's easy?

This is so fun ~

The Dancing Vlog!

Learn another language and get some exercise at the same time! How fun is that?

However, I'm not recommending any of the other dancing vlogs on this site ...just so you know.

10 Things that mean absolutely nothing

1. I can't say Dashboard without thinking of Mrs. Dashwood.

2. I hate that I know the words Al Queida, Al Kazeer, and Jihad. (I didn't say I knew how to spell them, I just said I hate knowing them.)

3. I like to make a spinach quiche and eat it all day.

4. I love magazines but buying them is expensive, so I catch up on stuff in the check out line. And, yes, I admit, I do like to catch up on the drama now and then, too. I think it's funny to ask a perfect stranger, 'so do you think she going to leave him?' and they laugh and give their opinion.

5. I love naps. I would rather get up early to get my work done (even before sunrise) and take a nap in the afternoon than sleep in.

6. I am a mess with paper work. If I have any paper, I make a mess with it.

7. I love cooking. I think it's fun. It makes people happy to eat, but they don't always like you messing with their food with fancy things.

8. If you have a family of 5, you are fortunate if three people like the same thing. If all 5 like the same thing, rejoice, as you have been blessed.

9. I like my blog. It's fun. It's an easy way to catch up with myself.

10. I love Fridays and Sundays. I usually work around my house on Saturdays, but I wear leisure clothes, translated means, things might not match but I am comfortable. I like to get all my laundry done on Saturday. I think it's wonderful when I don't have to do a load of laundry during the week, but, honestly, that doesn't always work out. On Sundays, I like to just relax.

So Me and Rachel Ray

And so you think you’re Rachael Ray in a rock and roll movie …

You think, hey, she’s there in a small space making a meal in thirty minutes, I mean, really, you say, I’ve been cooking for like – ever – just what could be so hard about that?

Okay. Well, I added one more thing to her deal but, Gees and Louise,

It weren’t that easy.

The meal I set out to copy was vegetarian and healthy. Both these facts, at least, remained at the end of my program.

Firstly, if anyone has watched Ms Ray perform her culinary skills, I do say, she does make it look easy. Good on her.

And when she is finished, there is no mess. My kitchen looked like Hurricane Andrew and Katrina had children illegally and they were fighting over the inheritance of the South Seas.

The menu –

Penne Pasta with a Cauliflower sauce

Portabella mushrooms and Kale in wine sauce

Of course, it so sounds like a piece of cake. There is no cake. But there are things caked on to my stove and floor now.

The Cauliflower Sauce was quite interesting. You sauté 5 garlic cloves and one red onion in some EVOO (That’s what Rach always says, “EVOO” – sounds kind of spooky, doesn’t it? But it’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil).

Now, you should have your things chopped and diced and ready to go. I, however, did not. I’m skilled at it, remember? (Ha Ha Ha)

I had put my EVOO in the pan and set it on low, as you are not supposed to let that kind of oil smoke, so I kind of forgot about it. …Then I smashed my garlic cloves with a little jar because I can’t find my press and I peeled them quick as I could and threw them in the pan. Yes, forgetting …

1. Splatter some places.
2. Recover and on to the next step …

Add one chopped red onion. I didn’t think it would take that long to chop a red onion, Rach takes about 30 seconds!! So I noticed that my garlic cloves are getting kind of brown, and I begin throwing my red onion in there. I mean, what is this red onion doing? Growing as I chop it?

Okay. So I get the onion in with the garlic and now I am supposed to chop the cauliflower. I watched Rachael do this. No big chore she showed there. She does have a tad bit more space than I do. And the woman is very organized with her little garbage bag on the counter (best invention in the whole of the kitchen world) – but I, of course, did not have one ready because I have no space and I – oh never mind –

I began chopping the cauliflower. Then, I thought,

1. This is taking forever so I’ll just chop it over the pan.
2. No. Dumb Idea. That takes even longer.
3. Back to chopping on the counter.
4. I’ll be days finding all that cauliflower
5. I got some in the pan

It begins to simmer in a lovely way. It is suppose to cook down. At this point I forget what else is supposed to go in it. Ummm. So I put some Italian seasoning and it seems like it’s drying out so I added a cup of vegetable broth. THEN I remember, Rachael added the water from her pasta!! Her already cooking pasta.

Which I had forgotten about getting ready at all.

1. Boil the water for the pasta
2. Put the pasta in the water. Do not cook for the 15 minutes IMO.

Now the portabella mushrooms. I didn’t have a pan left that was big enough for the big mushrooms that you slice into nice ¼” sections and brown in the EVOO. You brown them first, before adding any salt for flavoring because if you add the salt first it will dry out that mushroom. Isn’t that interesting? The pan I had to use was quite small.

I only say this because I didn’t end up adding all the kale she suggested ….a pound and half of kale…which I am glad about because even if kale is good for you, and you do put two rounds of a turn of merlot on it, and some nutmeg…it’s only going to taste ‘just so good’ – if you get my drift, as in “there is no chocolate in kale” …

Onward,

After the mushrooms have browned (there in my little tiny pan), you turn them over.

By now I have about twenty cooking utensils in various places all over the counter.

My cauliflower sauce needed to be mashed. Yes, you mash it. With a potatoe masher. Now, in the real recipe at that point you would have added some of that stock from the cooking pasta. Which Rachael says, with much vigor, is full of great whole wheat things and all.

This, however, would not have worked for me because I didn’t have a pot big enough for all the pasta I poured in and so it was kind of drying up to the top. At first I poured in like half of the pasta, and then I thought, you know what, as long as I’m cooking, might as well just cook the whole thing. Why? Why do I do these things? Rachael Ray doesn’t do these things?

Okay, so where was I?

Oh yeah, I’m supposed to add the kale that I mentioned earlier. I did add some. It’s beautiful looking, but like I said …about kale…if you like it, you add it and move it around and let it get wilty, and then you add more and let it get more wilty, until you have added a POUND and a HALF of Kale. (Do you know how much BeanO I would have to eat to have a pound and a half of Kale?)

Alrighty, then.

To recap:

1. Pasta is boiling.

2. Cauliflower is mashed.

3. Kale is steaming over the browned mushrooms, on which you have poured two turns of the merlot should you wish. If not, you can use some chicken stock and you should put some nutmeg on there. Rachael did. But I forgot. And drat about that.

Back to the Cauliflower Sauce. You add one cup of Parmesan cheese. You are supposed to grate it fresh, but I had enough going on and am glad I had the presence of mind to buy some that was already fresh grated.

I’m trying to think.

I think that’s it.

My Cauliflower Sauce didn’t look like a sauce. It looked like some kind of hash brown potato dish. You are supposed to pour the pasta in it, but I was afraid to do that in case it was not so good.

Oh, the other thing I was cooking was some meatballs and turkey sausage in Italian gravy. Actually, I never call it gravy, I call it spaghetti sauce, but I just felt like saying gravy just then. It’s fun to call it gravy. I think I will from now on.

So. I called in Madam Blueberry.

And she’s very cautious.

“Oh, is this that recipe you got from Rachel Ray?” (She’s being very sweet because she is hungry). “Looks good,” she says.

And believe it or not, it was!! I recommend the Cauliflower Sauce.

The Kale I can live without.

I think I’ll call the Governor about the state of my kitchen. Maybe I can get some funding.

New Limits

Ack! how frustrating to have new limits!

This back injury, or whatever it was that put me in the ER, is just taking forever to heal. I did a round of Prednisone (Can you say, "Miserable?"), and now I'm doing 10 days of anti-inflammatory medication.

I am burning up. My eyes are on fire. My face is on fire. Can this be good? I do not know. And hungry! Oh my gosh, this stuff makes you want to eat, eat, eat. Because if you don't, I think it burns up your stomach. What the 'hey' is it doing for me? I don't really know. I'm trusting some guy that went to medical school.

I bought something today called Mona Vie because a stranger in the park said it helped her husband with his back. That's how desperate I am. I'm talking to strangers in the park and taking their advice. Pain is a frustrating place to be.

But my back spasms every time I try any kind of exercise or stretching. By the end of the night, I am wanting a muscle relaxer so badly.

But, you know what ~ I'm going to deal with this. And if this doesn't work, ummmm, okay, I'll find someone else in the park who can shed some light on my situation!

Thank the Good Lord that Madam B is a cooperative homeschool student! I love this child. She just gets her books and does her thing. I mean, I do have to say, 'oh hey, what about history?' "oh yeah, I'll get to that." she says.

Something about history ~ she just doesn't think it's necessary to study. She says no one listens to it anyway. They don't pay attention, she says; they just keep making more and more of the same mistakes. Okay, well, I can't really argue with her there, can I?

How Well Do You Know Your Calories?

How Well Do You Know Your Calories?

(This is from an article in the Schripps Treasurecoast newspaper transported from another article in the Sacramento Bees)

1. True or False? Light whipping cream has less fat than cream in aerosol cans? (I don’t care. I don’t use light whipping cream or buy cream in aerosol cans. My kids always put it on everything, and it was gone in a day. Not very cost efficient).
2. True or False? Light coffee cream has fewer calories than half and half? (I don’t care. Light coffee cream tastes like diluted dishwater. I’ll die sooner for the 2/3 seconds more of a calorie.

3. True or False? Cup for cup, a soy beverage is higher in protein and riboflavin than cows’ milk? (I don’t care. I don’t drink cow milk, and I don’t drink soy beverages. I drink water, tea, and red wine.)

4. True or False? Cottage cheese has more calcium than other cheese? (I don’t care. I don’t buy cottage cheese. I do use other cheese because I like it in things, I just like cheese, and so I don’t worry about cheese. I worry about liking things like cheese, though.)

5. True or False? Frosted cake has fewer carbohydrates than angel food cake. (Trick question. But I don’t like angel food cake. It’s not really cake. It’s stuff that reminds me of diets, and not having fun at a party. I like the frosting on the frosted cakes. I don’t even really like the cake. I like a plate of frosting. Homemade.)

6. True or False? A rum ball has more calories than a piece of divinity. (I don’t care. I love rum balls. I hate divinity. What is divinity? They should make divinity with rum.)

7. True or False? A peanut butter cookie has more calories than a chocolate chip cookie. (I don’t care. I would never choose a peanut butter cookie over a chocolate chip cookie. Ever. That’s almost cruel to think about!)

Okay, now if one should care – these are all False.

What ideas have you borrowed?

I'm thinking of things I've seen or read that other people do and then incorporated that idea into my own life.

I came back from a visit to Tennessee with Leslie and bought myself a package of white little wash clothes for my kitchen, and a package of colored little wash clothes for my bathroom because that's what Leslie has, and it seems so efficient.

Of course, we won't talk about the fact that some of my white little clothes are now pink because I washed them in with my cranberry colored Christmas napkins by mistake ....

I always carry a hair tie in the car. That's what my friend Sasha does so she always has one when she needs one. And I never could find one when I needed one until I did that. Course, now I always have to run out to the car to get one ....

Rachael Ray always has a little bowl on the kitchen counter for her garbage when she cooks. Very convenient little thing to have there.

My friend Phyllis always used one wash cloth a night for her face. And at the end of its use, she wiped up her bathroom sink and put that cloth in the clothes hamper. I started doing that. And my sister did, too. She said she got the idea from me. I don't know where Phylliss got it. But your bathroom sink stays tidy.

I carry a little notebook in my purse at all times. Just a little one so I can jot down anything. Now my mother in law does, also, as well as Mr. B. Ooops, no, he doesn't carry a purse, he carries the notebook in his truck. A truck is much bigger than a purse.

Somewhere along the way, I learned to keep all I need for cleaning in each place I do the cleaning. I keep extra personal items in the bedroom so if I have company I don't have to always go in the bathroom for lotion or such stuff.

And because Mr. B goes to bed earlier than I do, I keep meds and contact solution stuff in the kitchen as well as the bathroom.

That's just a few ~
I'm sure there are more. As I go through my week, I'll think about them.

But I'm thinking, what would I do without my friends? They are such a source of brain power to me. I love my friends.

Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. -- Jewish Saying

Hold a true friend with both your hands. -- Nigerian Proverb

"A faithful friend is the medicine of life."
-- Apocrypha

Lost in Translation

Well, I had a plan to throw three things out at least today, maybe seven. But I broke three things. Glasses. So, I just have a few more things to decide on getting rid of.

I was lining my cabinets with shelf paper, and Mr. B was downloading the tree. Together, things crashed and the vacuum cleaner is a lovely thing to have.

I told Mr. B, "For living here only 4 months, our shelfs were sorely dirty.

He said, "That's because they're white."

I said, "Really? You mean if they were another color they would not be dirty?"

He said, "It wouldn't show."

I said, "But they would still be dirty?"

He said, "Yes, but they are white."

I said, "Let's talk about something else." And put some music on.

And since you know you cannot see yourself,
so well as by reflection. I, your glass,
will modestly discover to yourself,
that of yourself which you yet know not of.

~~William Shakespeare (from Julis Caesar).

In Making the Year Better - Make more Space

Today I threw out more stuff...

Throw out 7 things every day that you don't use -- anything you see no matter how small. Or if you are afraid to throw them out - put them some place in a box, and leave them there out of the way,

and if you haven't reached for anything in this box in a month, throw it away or take it to goodwill or someplace like that.

If you can't do 7 things, do three. Three is a quick fast number. A real winner.

Today, I am trying to follow some of my good advice in my very long last post:

I wrote a letter to my niece in prison and sent her songs lyrics and a poem. And I told her the wonderful things about her I know. And I told her about what she looks upon as mistakes, big bad and ugly mistakes, are turning into something beautiful out here in the free world.

We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free.

Discourses --Epictetus

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven
- for she loved much.
But he who has been forgiven little loves little.
- The Holy Bible - Luke 7:47 

This year comes with a warning....

Do it now. Live it large. Time's A Wastin' ...

Remember that song? Time's A Wastin'? No? It's an old song. June Carter Cash wrote it back in, in, some year - long ago - in a galaxy where my parents lived in that crashed into mine because my father loved music and June Carter Cash was one of his favorite people.

But I'm not thinking about the song, really. The lyrics are not very deep on a word to word level, but the meaning of Time's A Wastin' - My friends, it is absolutely true.

If you have a plan, if you have something in your life that you think you want to, ought to do, heavens - get to it.

Got a book you want to read? My gosh, don't hesitate - go buy it, or check it out of the library, but please do yourself a favor and read it.

Got a bridge to mend? Mend it. It's not worth another day of struggle to let a heart be torn. Make the call. Write the letter. Fix the fence and life will get better. Love. It’s the binder and the fixer. It will glue your bridge. Goes on clear, shows up pretty in the later years.

Hug your friends. They need it. I promise. It's "4 hugs a day for survival. 8 hugs a day for maintenance. 12 hugs a day for growth." Did you get that many today? No? Well, get busy! You need to survive and grow and maintain, don't you?

That's one positive perk in taking care of a three year old - they hug you, no questions asked. Everyday I can count on Jacob for at least one hug.

Give a thumbs up when the fire fighters ride by even if they are on a regular ride. You'll see them smile and wave if they see you. The serve us. They are sworn to save out lives. Let them know, we see them. Thumbs Up. We appreciate you are there for us.

Smile. Some folks might not act like they deserve it. Like the lady who butted into my turn at the drug store...I still wish I had handled that differently, but it's over now, and I learned that next time, I will say what I want to say, but I will make sure my voice is kinder. As in kinder nicer.

I wasn't meanly when I spoke to her; I was generic. It's was not a helpful tone. It fed her idea of what she was doing was right, and that's not helping anybody. Next time, I'll say what I have to say with a Smile. Even though, some times, I really like raising my eyebrows! I'll smile when I raise them.

Serve your community. I'm here in a new town and haven't done anything to get involved. It feels funny. Kind of selfish. But what's happening is, I'm letting myself fill that slack with something else like laundry or sweeping the porch. I know I haven't washed the car in 5 months.... but really, we each need to give - in some way -- to our community and it's needs.

I did take Jacob to the fire station. Maybe that could count for a tiny thing. I didn't hug them though. I did take cookies. Maybe a fireman thinks that's a good as a hug.

Have any dreams? I do have one. I want to write a book. I don't know if it's a book I would publish, but I sending my sister and my niece a short piece of it for judgment. I know I need to work on it everyday. And I don't. Because I don't see the dream real.

What I see is that everyone needs me in some way, and I have to wait for that moment to be there for them. I'm standing by for them. I leave a time slot open for them always. There's a sign on my heart door that always says, 'come in' ....Always, Everyday I do that. Maybe I have to figure out a way to do that and write my book, too. At least I have the dream. That's good right? But I don't ever want to say to my family, 'I'm too busy, you can't come in because I’m working on my dream."

Here’s an interesting idea for you -- Look at things from the inside out. Seriously. For example, I have a niece who is in prison. I'll tell you the story someday, but not now - but I will say that her sentence for what happened was way over the top.

I go to visit her, and I think about her being in there and feeling locked up and feeling the loss of things as the awareness of prison everyday grows in and around her, and I think, I don't ever want her to feel that she has nothing to lose and cross over to the dark side –

Could we find a way to survive if we happen to make a mistake or a horrible choice that could seal our fate for life? I think, do people in the free world (that's what those inside call 'us' - 'people in the free world') know what we each really have inside of us?

I know many people suffer from a crisis in their lives now and then, but they pass, and then we go on and soon are taking our lives for granted. Most of our days leave us untested for what's really inside of us. Mostly our days don't require us to even have to think about what real strength we have inside.

When I started going through this episode with my body going into pain for unknown reasons and spent 3 months seeing doctors and no diagnosis, and then yesterday, I get a diagnosis that begins with "I'm betting this is...." I felt frustrated and wanted to raise my eyebrows, but for someone reason I not only thought of my niece in jail, my mind began to think of women in concentration camps and how something like this would not stop them from continuing on with their efforts of survival. I will not be a wimpy. I will take my steroids, anti-inflammatory, and the quest is to get better so I can be better and use myself to serve those I love with love.

Yes, I know, you have to have yourself in order to serve your house, and I will do that. My mind thinks about my niece a lot, and I think, "what would I be and what would I value inside those walls? What would I do with my time? What am I doing with my time now?" -- someone who works at a prison posed those thoughts.
Just get up in the morning. Make your list, make your coffee or tea, and your beds if you're anal, kiss your kids, say something positive to them, feed them love with their oatmeal (throw out that junk cereal, really – my eyebrows are raised, but I am smiling) tell them and your husband, and the rest of the assorted relatives who are in your life to tease you into thinking you have got to be sane because you can't be them, or could you? Oh the depths of relationships can very well get confusing….

Which brings me to being a pirate – and what Captain Jack Sparrow said ….

”The only rules that really matter are these: What a man can do, and what a man can't do. For instance: You can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man, or you can't. But piracy is in your blood boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for instance, I can let you drown, but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesies, savvy? So, can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?”

So. Can you sail your ship with yourself in command and live out your life as your calling demands?

You need to decide because, you see, “Times A Wastin’” and you are at the helm of your ship.

Made any promises that you haven’t kept? I have a promise outstanding that I am going to get on it and keep it. (Leslie, I’m working on it.)

And then I’m going to follow through on the nagging list of emotional things I’m working on. I will get better. I may not shine in 2007, but I plan to glow a little.

And here’s another thing I’ve observed…Old people fighting. What is that? I mean, gosh, what is left to fight about by then? That has got to stem from some kind of seriously unresolved issues!

I shall have no issues unresolved. They shall be let go, set free, they will not remain around to come back to make me angry when I am 80. Not a freakin’ chance on that – I am leaving this world in a state of Tu Tranquilo.

If God still recognizes me immediately, I will pass over to the next world in peace and calmness. If God’s vision of me is blurry, and He has to look up things, or ask Jesus if he remembers me so I can get a reference, (Heavens, please don’t send Satan!), I feel I’ll pass over, but maybe God will be having me feel some of that tinge of regret that gets me sometime in the night, before I complete my journey home. I'm trusting he won’t but, I think I’ll take care of as many things as I can while still here- so I can sail under the command of My God easily. (My heart surged when I heard Billy Graham say he was 'hoping' he was going to heaven...hoping? If he is Billy Graham and he is 'hoping' ...I truly am hoping God recognizes me!)

So you see? Time’s A Wastin’. Go get ‘em Tiger. Let this be your year for the Glow – or the Shine! Just know this, you will never make the basket if you don’t shoot.

Time's A Wastin' ..... Love's A Waitin' ....

And remember, always, .

Love conquers All

I love my family.
I love my friends.

I love the God that gave me the things I love

With opportunities for more Love..

He taught me Love Conquers All.

I’ve been in the presence of that.

I’ve seen the saddest thing bloom love.

More than one time.

I’ve seen the tragedy become the joy

I have seen the joy come from the tragedy

Grow to love Him – Grow to love God

On more than one occasion, I have seen it,

And I have been amazed by the miracle of it all

And just quietly say to myself,

“It’s true. Love conquers All”

Love is Action

Love is Healing

Though

Love Hurts

Love Knows

When to stay

And when to go
without leaving,

just waits, quietly
for someone to believe.

Love Frees

Love Binds

Love does not know math

And doesn’t count the times

We failed, lost, lied, cried,

Love just waits for us to let it back inside.

Love needs Us
To release Love
to do that thing that
Love can do

Because WE are the power of love

Gifted to us by the Almighty.

Love plants,
We are the reapers.
Those around us sow.

Is your heart ready?

Love brings that peace that passes all understanding,
While living and basking in Love

Love is fast
Love is slow

But

Is Love tough?

One thing I know, it’s always strong enough.

And it’s always there. Always.

Love conquers all
because
Love Bears All Things.

Best dreams to you in 2007.

Make it a wonderful year.

~~Miss Roxie

Sweet Christmas After All

It seemed to come so fast and pass so quickly.

I hope your memories are fond.

I hope all love you have lives on.

I hope your sorrows pass quickly,
and the hurts they burrow
allow love to plant deeply.

I hope the smiles from your children light brightly
those places in your heart where shadows somtimes fall,
and make all their smudges and bad moods
fade a fast distance from memory,

And it is Love that you remember
After All

May you have a most wonderful and God loving, fearing, believing, receiving, miracle believing
New Year ~

Tu Tranquilo,

Miss Roxie