The View from Here

Run rabbit, run!

I guess I just have to add a post script to today's blog. I managed to do a little more gardening- Gary helped me after work. Then more laundry. Dinner. Re-run of House. I went to turn the truck mirror and noticed a Dutch iris. Took the camera out to photograph it. Ended the day with a little cow entertainment!

No, I wasn't touching the car! Were you touching the car?

Hey, look, it's a rabbit. Let's see if we can catch it!

So close! Darn, those things are fast!

Whew! They can't get through the gate can they??

Hey lady, are you bothering my kid???  

Come on, let's go back to the trees.

No fair!! You moved the mirror! 
  

 

  

A Day in the Life...sort of

Katrina is working on a scrapbook project titled “A Week in the Life”. I’m sure it is going to include outstanding photos and some witty, introspective journaling. Well, I’m not quite as talented, nor am I the least bit ambitious today. It’s been a cloudy, gloomy, windy, scattered showers kind of day. So I give you the highlights from 4am to 4pm. The rest of the day will have to go undocumented, unless something newsworthy happens in the next few hours. J

My day always begins with a whiny, hungry cat. This morning she was in the middle of the dining room floor.  Feeding her is priority numero uno.

Next I start the coffee, feed the fish, feed Buddy (the outside cat) and sit down to my desk to tackle whatever projects I have going. Papers, magnifying glass, Bible, stapler, fly swatter… action!

I worked on the computer until after Gary went to work at 6:30, then cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry, and got myself ready for the day.

Worked in the yard for about an hour and planted a few seeds. Still have more waiting for a home. Just as I was getting ready to go inside, a pair of Canada geese flew right over the house and landed on the pond.

   

Of course before I go anywhere each morning I have to fix my side mirrors. If I don’t fold them in each evening- and last night I forgot to do so- the cows do it for me. 

  

I spent two hours at the genealogy library. Found a good article about a fire in 1903, and some interesting news bits that will eventually make it to my Caddo blog.

Went to Walgreen’s for a few things and got rained on in the process. Of course my raincoat was at home! I spilled sugar water on it yesterday when I was transporting the butterfly house.

Did some of my weekly shopping at WalMart. Got less than I really needed, but I was afraid the downpour would start again just as I started putting groceries in the truck, so I decided to make a second trip later in the week. Saw an old friend and chatted.

Came home to more laundry and a quick, late lunch of chicken strips and sweet potato, with cherry tomatoes and avocado slices. One sweet potato seemed to be a little old, so it will be a raccoon treat!

Uploaded my photos, typed this, and then it’s back to the yard for round two of “gardening between showers”. Wasn't that a thrill a minute?? lol I like my boring life. I prefer to think of it as peaceful.

Be happy!

The Gift of a Day

Today is a “free” day. No major plans. No expectations. Let’s just see what happens. I’ll post some thoughts and photos this afternoon. J

Pie

I know the mind works in mysterious ways, but I woke up at 4am thinking of pie.

Apparently Gary woke up thinking about me, and probably wondering why his wife is crazy. As I turned over he asked, “Do you ever wake up and just want to go back to sleep for a while instead of working on the computer?”

“No, it’s just what I do.”

So I’ve spent the last thirty minutes typing the local news from May 15, 1914, and thinking about pie.

I wasn’t thinking about eating pie or how delicious it tastes or how the soft, smooth creaminess of it melts in your mouth. Honest. I was thinking about how I learned to make pie crust- not by overt instruction, but by observation. My grandmother wasn’t one to stand around and say, “Take this and this and measure that…” No. She worked and I paid attention, and once in a while she’d say, “Don’t stretch it too much”, or some other helpful tip. But I knew that she used cold water because I watched her take it out of a jar she kept in the refrigerator. I knew she sifted the flour because I watched her do it.

I was thinking about making pie because it’s a skill that requires some knowledge, practice, and competence. I don’t make pie anymore, but there was a time when I wasn’t ashamed to take mine to a church supper. I have my grandmother, and hours of observation and practice, to thank for that.

I guess the world has changed more than I want to think about. People must not spend as much time doing things in front of their children, because I have students who don’t know how to eat properly, much less make anything, even a peanut butter sandwich. At the beginning of the year they don’t know how to even approach eating a piece of Salisbury steak, a school lunch staple. They hold their fork and just look at me. They can’t tie their shoes or button their shirts or blow their noses. Some can’t even figure out how to open a door. Here is a post I wrote recently for my kindergarten blog:

Problem Solving 101

Yesterday I observed an interesting exercise in problem solving. Three of my girls were painting at the art center and decided they needed some clean water.

Our classroom door is pretty heavy for a kindergartner to handle, but most of my students can open and close it. I usually leave it open, but in the afternoons there is often hall noise and distraction from the returning lunch crowds, so I close the door for about an hour.

H went to the door with the cup of water in her hand and found that she couldn’t open the door. I watched her from my desk and waited to see if she would ask someone for help. No. She returned to the art center and put the cup back on the table. There was a brief discussion and then C picked up the cup. Now, C is at least four inches shorter and much lighter than H, so I watched intently to see what she would do.

C went to the door and pulled. Nothing. So, she put the cup of water on top of the cubbies next to the door, used both hands to pull the door open, braced it with her back, retrieved the cup, and walked out. H wasn’t even watching!!  Oh well, maybe she’ll figure it out next time.

I blame my students’ helplessness not on their age, but on the following factors:

1.    Most children don’t spend a lot of one-to-one quality time with parents. Sorry, television time doesn’t count. Therefore the children don’t learn from observation.

2.    There are never hours available to do anything, or observe anything, or learn anything, unless of course it’s a sport. Therefore parents are more likely to do things for a child so they can just get going. Therefore the child never solves a problem- that’s what parents do.

3.    Most of my students eat “finger food”, “fast food”, or “kid food”. Therefore they don’t have to sit at a table, learn to use flatware, or have manners.

4.    A lot of food and things that used to be made at home are now purchased. Therefore my students have no idea how a pie is made, but they can tell me where to find it at WalMart.

5.    A lot of what we adults do these days takes place in our minds, on machines, and in front of screens. Therefore much of it is not observable by children, nor are they capable of repeating it correctly.  

None of these things are all that bad, just less likely to produce a skilled, productive, independent child than hours spent watching a skilled, productive, independent adult tackle the problems of the day. I wonder about these things at 4am. It’s just what I do.

 

With Fear and Self-Loathing

How many times a day do you think to yourself, “Gee, I look great!”?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

I never pass a mirror or reflective window anymore without thinking, “How in the world did I get to be so fat?” Or my other favorite, “Who IS that fat lady?”

“Could my butt BE any bigger?”

“Are those my arms jiggling? JIGGLING? Is that even a word?”

I spend my day motivating and encouraging others, and then I think things about myself that I would never say to another human being. And I know I’m not alone.

Women are far more critical of themselves than they are of anyone else. We take “modest and self-deprecating” to new lows every day. Next time you have a conversation with a woman, especially a woman between 35-45, count how many times she says “I’m not”, “I haven’t”, “I didn’t”, or “I don’t”. She’ll tell you ten things she did for her family and then say, “but I didn’t get xyz done”.

And don’t give her a compliment about her appearance! Women can’t accept them without telling you at least three negative things- as though trying to achieve some cosmic balance for their moment of pride. On any given day I can guarantee that the first young woman you meet, from about 12 on up to 60 or maybe 70, will tell you that her skin, hair, nails, lips, or eyelashes are not living up to her expectations. I know a woman who is ninety and still going to the dermatologist for creams and magic potions to make her skin smooth and beautiful! I have news for her- I’ve seen her children and grandchildren and her skin condition is 90% genes, 10% magic potions! My maternal grandmother, my mother, and I could have used all the magic potions in the world and never had her skin.

Weight and physical condition compliments will bring out the demon in women. That’s when we really go for the jugular! Fat women know they are too fat. Thin women know they are too thin. Women who meet our “just right” standards will tell you they are “out of shape”. Everyone wants to lose that last five pounds that will make them the perfect human being. Everyone wants to run ten miles and bench press 150lbs.  Bumps, lumps, bulges, curves, and dimensions must be in compliance with society’s rules and regulations: smaller on the bottom, bigger on the top (even if you have to buy new ones).

Where and when did we get the idea that "a thin person= a good person”? Botticelli might have loved, even honored me! I blame Twiggy for my self-loathing. Why she was so admired is a mystery to me now, but she was the standard during my formative years. If you didn’t have visible bones, well, you just weren’t starving. It took me a few years to admit that I would never be that thin, no matter what I ate, or didn’t eat. And it took my marriage to Gary to realize that some people can eat ANYTHING they want and still be thin. There is nothing to be admired or envied about them except their natural metabolism. For years Gary ate three times what I ate and stayed under 145 pounds! And he loved junk food- still does!  

I worry that our current generation of women is oblivious to the fact that many of the stars and idols of weight control that they so admire are the products of drugs, money, obsession, and benevolent genes. They don’t deserve admiration or emulation if their size and weight is due to diet pills, surgery, or extreme regimes that require 24/7 focus. In fact, I’m not sure why they deserve admiration at all, if their only redeeming quality is their appearance! I read just the other day that one famous trainer will “never ruin her body” by having a child! How sad to understand her misguided priorities.

It may seem off the subject, but a few weeks ago I watched a Dr. Phil show about tanning and a young woman admitted that she would probably die of cancer due to her excessive tanning, but she would make a good-looking corpse. Is that where our standards have led us? Is that what our young women think- it doesn’t matter if you die an early death as long as you look good in your coffin? The young woman on the show might have been an extreme example, or perhaps have been exhibiting a bit of false bravado because of the cameras, but it was clear that even after the show she was going to continue to spend hours in the tanning booth.

 I think I first began to question the importance of appearance after my first encounter with a fire victim. The woman and her husband were visiting at my in-law’s house. They were obviously in love with each other and carried on an animated conversation with my in-laws. They had just returned from a vacation at a national park. They raved about their experiences and the food and their success at rock-hunting along the route.  What fascinated me was that half of her face was a mass of scars and destruction. I kept thinking “how is she brave enough to even leave the house?”.  And then I realized she was much more concerned with what she did than how she looked. Any time I get overly concerned with my appearance I remember her joy and enthusiasm for life.

I’m not sure where else to go with this or exactly where it needs to end. Definitely, I need to change my own attitude about my current weight problems and stop approaching the scale and the day with fear and self-loathing. I have made some important changes in my diet that have affected my health and energy, even though they haven’t yet impacted my weight and appearance in any major way.  And I need to be more positive and encouraging to the young women around me who seem so bent on putting themselves down for each and every little short-coming. I need to make sure that my daughters and other family members know that who they are is much more important than how they look.

So…ladies, we need to celebrate who we are today and give ourselves a pat on the back for all that we accomplish. We need to cut ourselves some slack about the whole “beauty is…” thing and realize that we only have to meet our own standards, not those of the media, where everything is “smoke and mirrors” or Photoshop!

The next time you pass a mirror today, be gentle, be understanding, BE POSITIVE! Treat yourself with the courtesy and consideration that you give to others. I’ll try to do the same.

 

 

 

Tuesday

Not much to say today.

I’m having some thoughts that are difficult to put together.

Stay tuned…

The Lovely Avocado

We’ve talked a lot about foods we should subtract from our diets. Today we are going to talk about adding one of my favorite foods- the avocado.

I’ve always loved avocados. As a Californian I took them for granted. The tree at Gary’s aunt’s house bore so much fruit that it was allowed to fall to the ground and rot. Now I’m happy if I can purchase one for less than a dollar! (They are currently 88-98 cents each.) However, I have to remind myself that I once thought nothing of spending $1 a day on cola.

Avocados have gotten a bad reputation in the past because of their fat content. However, I’ve seen and heard their praises sung lately by health enthusiasts who are becoming aware of their nutritional power.

Before I felt free to add avocado to my salads and sandwiches, or have them as a snack, I compared them to two other foods I had been consuming regularly- peanut butter and sliced cheese. Peanut butter has 210 calories, 17g of fat, 140mg of sodium, 180mg of potassium, and 3g of sugar per serving (2tbsp.). Sliced cheese has 60 calories, 4.5g of fat, 250mg of sodium, 1g of sugar, and 15mg of cholesterol per slice. Avocado has 50 calories, 4.5g of fat, 0 sodium, 0 sugar, 0 cholesterol, and 140mg of potassium per serving (1/5 of a fruit). Plus the avocado contains over a dozen vitamins and minerals, AND it helps your body absorb the minerals contained in other fruits and vegetables eaten with it. Even if I ate a whole small avocado, it would still be a better nutritional choice than peanut butter for a sandwich. I also like avocado, instead of cream cheese, on bagels or crackers.   

To learn more about the nutrients in avocados, go to California Avocados

The following serving suggestions are from Julia F. Morton, at avocado. The site also contains information about growing, and about types.

“Indians in tropical America break avocados in half, add salt and eat with tortillas and a cup of coffee—as a complete meal. In North America, avocados are primarily served as salad vegetables, merely halved and garnished with seasonings, lime juice, lemon juice, vinegar, mayonnaise or other dressings. Often the halves are stuffed with shrimp, crab or other seafood. Avocado flesh may be sliced or diced and combined with tomatoes, cucumbers or other vegetables and served as a salad. The seasoned flesh is sometimes used as a sandwich filling. Avocado, cream cheese and pineapple juice may be blended as a creamy dressing for fruit salads.

Mexican guacamole, a blend of the pureed flesh with lemon or lime juice, onion juice or powder, minced garlic, chili powder or Tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper has become a widely popular ";dip"; for crackers, potato chips or other snacks. The ingredients of guacamole may vary and some people add mayonnaise.

Because of its tannin content, the flesh becomes bitter if cooked. Diced avocado can be added to lemon-flavored gelatin after cooling and before it is set, and chunks of avocado may be added to hot foods such as soup, stew, chili or omelets just before serving. In Guatemalan restaurants, a ripe avocado is placed on the table when a hot dish is served and the diner scoops out the flesh and adds it just before eating. For a “gourmet" breakfast, avocado halves are warmed in an oven at low heat, then topped with scrambled eggs and anchovies.

In Brazil, the avocado is regarded more as a true fruit than as a vegetable and is used mostly mashed in sherbet, ice cream, or milk shakes. Avocado flesh is added to heated ice cream mixes (such as boiled custard) only after they have cooled. If mashed by hand, the fork must be a silver one to avoid discoloring the avocado. A New Zealand recipe for avocado ice cream is a blend of avocado, lemon juice, orange juice, grated orange rind, milk, cream, sugar and salt, frozen, beaten until creamy, and frozen again.

Some Oriental people in Hawaii also prefer the avocado sweetened with sugar and they combine it with fruits such as pineapple, orange, grapefruit, dates, or banana.

In Java, avocado flesh is thoroughly mixed with strong black coffee, sweetened and eaten as a dessert.

Avocado slices have been pickled and marketed in glass jars. California began marketing frozen guacamole in 1951, and a frozen avocado whip, developed at the University of Miami, was launched in 1955. To help prevent enzymatic browning of these products, it is recommended that sodium bisulfate and/or ascorbic acid be mixed in before freezing.”

 

If you haven’t tried avocados, or haven’t been a big fan in the past, I hope you will give them some consideration this week. Enjoy!  

 

Plan B- Day 2

Yesterday, after the rain stopped, we went to Lowe’s and I purchased four East Friesland Salvia (purple), two Meadow Sage (white), two Winky Red & White Columbine, four Winky Purple & White Columbine, one Clementine White Columbine, one August Beauty Gardenia, one white (unnamed) Azalea, two pink Geraniums, one Fanfare Hosta, two dwarf Coreopsis, and two six-packs of mixed impatiens. I also bought some edging to put around a couple of trees.

Despite standing water on the east side of the house and a 25mph wind, I was determined to get some yard chores done yesterday afternoon and get my plants into the ground!! I also had a sinus headache and by the time I went to WalMart and Lowe’s yesterday morning, my foot felt like I was walking on glass shards. Then my dad stopped by on his way home from a lunch date and he had the nerve to laugh at me because I was having a tough time working in the wind! Don’t mess with this woman when she has an attitude. I told him next time he visits he’d better bring his shovel! Lol He readily admitted that he is behind on his own gardening.

This morning it was relatively quiet so I thought I might take some general “yard photos” instead of close-ups. But the longer I sat here answering email and drinking coffee, the stronger the wind gusts became. So, finally at 8:30 I gave up and took these photos. The light isn’t right, and the blurriness in some is because I’m shaking, not just the flowers. I also took a couple of calf photos and I could barely hold the camera still!! But I was determined to post some photos today. I’m telling you…don’t mess with me this weekend. J

   
   

You can see in these photos that I have a LOT of work yet to be done. But you might as well be privy to the “before” pictures. That way you will appreciate the after. Oh, and I took a couple of photos of our view this morning. I forget sometimes how wonderful it is to be able to see so far across the horizon.

 

Have a great day!

 

Plan B

I’m not sure what plan B is, but we’d better figure it out, because plan A- Catch up on Gardening Chores-was cancelled when I awoke at 4:15am to the sound of rain! Only half of the lawn got mowed this week. The flower beds still have weeds. The new seeds and seedlings are still in the spare room. We may not have a vegetable garden this year if I don’t get it planted soon! But I suppose that is the challenge and the reward of gardening, every year is different.

At least the irises seem to enjoy the rain. I’m pleased that they are doing so well. I really want to add some more colors for next year!

Since I’m a little discouraged this week, I did what I usually do when my garden or the weather is not cooperating- I looked at pictures from last year and the year before. Seeing old pictures encourages me because I see the progress we have made here in a relatively short time. Flowers are a quick fix for ugly yard syndrome! And this was an UGLY yard when we moved in three years ago. (It was an ugly house! But new siding, roof, and other repairs and changes have really improved it.)

Here is a first week shot of the east side of the house. There was a lovely abandoned refrigerator, a scorpion filled wood pile, and a goat pen on this side when we arrived to look at it. The wood was rotting where there used to be a window. I almost said “no thanks”, but my friend and the owner both asked me to see the “potential” and I certainly could. Plus, the view was breathtaking and the quiet was palpable.

The next shots show some of the progress we have made over the past three years- with a lot of time and patience, very little money, and some wonderful donations from friends. This has tremendous meaning for me, because this whole move was a plan B and look how well it has turned out!! I’ve never been happier with a house.

  

 

After the rain....