Super Size Me

I watched this movie for the first time yesterday and I tell you what: it was an eye opener and a half. A lot of these things I already knew, but it's something else to see it in action. I feel fortunate to have inherited my dad's love of fresh produce and believe that in spite of my weight problem, I am healthier than if I ate junk food, fast food and drank sodas. I never got into the habit of snacking on chips and stuff and generally am not into sweets. Give me a pickle any day! Since my hip replacements (and back problems) I've not been able to move like I used to and the lack of exercise is catching up with me. Therefore, I seriously have to trim my portion sizes way down, because I discovered that one can get fat on healthy foods just the same. I would encourage anyone to watch this movie. It's very interesting, informative and funny at times. Super Size Me, the movie. Just click and watch it on Hulu for free (it's a safe website!) So, good luck and good health to us all! Lastly, for your viewing pleasure, watch Saturday Night Live's Taco Town and ROFL (if you can) To me that taco looks just so gross...it would be like eating a newborn...yuk! (look, he's even ogling and holding it like a baby!) What's next? Oh, yeah, a heart attack!!! We don't need any natural disasters to wipe us off the face of this earth because we are pretty good at killing ourselves with all this overconsumption, aka gluttony!

Pear Harvest

Today I ventured out early with Gizzy to walk around the lake since we've been hibernating for a few days and needed to look around. To my surprise there were still quite a few pears left on the tree. I didn't expect to see this many. Unfortunately I can't reach the pretty big ones because I'm too short, so I just pick the ones I can and some off the ground. It's a shame not more people make an effort to use these. I know they're not that good straight from the tree. They're kind of hard and the skin's really thick and unappetizing looking, but if you let them sit in a paper bag for a few days, they will turn very juicy and sweet for eating raw. I've been preparing a delicious compote with a little brown sugar and cinnamon for a tasty treat chilled or warm over pancakes or ice cream...or even in a blender for a healthy breakfast beverage. I have another batch to peel, core and cook to stock up my freezer for later. I'm so glad to have this wonderful pear tree that just stands around making pears that nobody wants - except for me, the ants and the wasps - oh, well... It does take some work to prepare these, but it's all worth it. Yum!!! (Oh, I've read somewhere that canned pears are good for the heart. I think it was a Prevention magazine, but I would imagine anything healthy would be good for the heart, right?) There seem to be a lot of these pear trees growing here and people always tell me they have pears that they don't like, so I've been telling everyone that I will pick them if they don't want them so they won't go to waste. Otherwise, they just let them rot. I think it's such a shame to not use the bounty of the land, especially when nature and the bees do all the work for us. With a little time and effort, they can be prepared into a very delicious stew because I'd rather eat fresh than canned or frozen anytime. So, thank you, little honey bees, for doing such a fine job pollinating! You did good!!!

August in the South

I know there are a lot of other places way hotter than here, but I've never experienced such a heat as I have in southern Georgia. It's different from anywhere I've ever lived before. Lately, it's been raining quite a bit, so it's moist, very humid and stifling hot. It just feels very, very strange to me and my body does not react favorably to this climate as is evidenced by my recent diagnosis of RAD (Reactive Airways Disease.) I can't seem to find enough oxygen to breathe in this heat. The ironic part is that for a cold-weather-gal, I sure manage to end up living in hot places. Here are my thoughts about August in Georgia: AUGUST Suppressing heat - still - silence Except for the Cicadas Step outside and choke On the heat and odor of musk and mold Heat’s got me by the throat Stifling my breathing Making me cough Weighing heavy, pressing hard I'm so tired before I even start Nothing is thriving, but merely surviving Hanging on, waiting, hoping to endure The cruelest of months in the South Survival of the fittest Scavenging insects circling low to the ground Wasps - yellow flies Looking for remnants of discarded food August heat - lingering - lasting Every living thing Is barely hanging in Or hiding out - waiting for relief Dying cricket twitching on the sidewalk Old age? Poison? Heat stroke? Walk on by - go inside with your dog Into the air conditioning and ride it out Living your life from the inside out Waiting for August heat to subside It's a slow and agonizing ride

Simply adorable

The 11th Hour

I know there's a lot of people who say Global Warming doesn't exist, but how can it not? Look how we have damaged the planet by our industrialization! Imagine, if you will, what would happen if you, for instance, plugged out all your hair on your head (the world's trees) and then slathered on, let's say, hot wax (all the roads made of tar that replace open land) and then see if your brain won't boil... We are doing just that - we are destroying the rain forests and harvesting our trees and then make more roads...how dumb is that? All you have to do is take a long road trip during the summer and watch the heat waves wiggling upward from the pavement...that's our earth overheating...but, I guess it's always easier to live in denial! If we could only be more conservative and take a hint from our frugal post war parents and grand parents who always said: "waste not, want not" and conserved whenever they could. That was a good way to live, but it may be too late for us because people, for the most part, are already spoiled and used to overabundance and going backwards is probably next to impossible, not to mention not profitable! That reminds me of something Albert Einstein once said: Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction. Let's pray for courage!

Always Look at the Bright Side of Life

I started to sing this song to Gizzy this morning and now I can't get it out of my head, so I'm writing it down...so it can get into yours: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life Some things in life are bad, They can really make you mad, Other things just make you swear and curse, When you're chewing life's gristle, Don't grumble, Give a whistle And this'll help things turn out for the best. And... Always look on the bright side of life. [whistle] Always look on the light side of life. [whistle] If life seems jolly rotten, There's something you've forgotten, And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing. When you're feeling in the dumps, Don't be silly chumps. Just purse your lips and whistle. That's the thing. And... Always look on the bright side of life. [whistle] Always look on the right side of life, [whistle] For life is quite absurd And death's the final word. You must always face the curtain with a bow. Forget about your sin. Give the audience a grin. Enjoy it. It's your last chance, anyhow. So,... Always look on the bright side of death, [whistle] Just before you draw your terminal breath. [whistle] Life's a piece of shit, When you look at it. Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true. You'll see it's all a show. Keep 'em laughing as you go. Just remember that the last laugh is on you. And... Always look on the bright side of life. Always look on the right side of life. [whistle] ...and if you want to sing along, be my guest: (Just FYI: This tiger mama was depressed after losing her babies, so they gave her these piglets in tiger clothes to help her feel content - and it worked!)

Trading Places

This morning we had very comfortable weather. It was not too hot and perfect for sitting on the porch, reading, knitting, drawing or snapping photos...well, I did all of that. I sat in my Adirondack chair with my feet propped on the ottoman, drinking my morning coffee. Gizzy was tied up next to me on a very long leash so he could not bolt after a stray cat, if one happened to stroll by as they often do. Middi was inside, by herself, on a windowsill looking out when I started to feel really bad for her. She's strictly an indoor cat and she doesn't mind it when we're all together inside, but she just hates it when Gizzy and I are outside and she's not. You should hear her calling after us when I take him for a potty run ...she sounds like a baby or like a peacock. I can hear her meow echoing through the neighborhood - it's almost embarrassing. So, I decided to give her harness and leash another try. I purchased them a while back, but used them only a few times before. Well, Middi is capable of reading my mind because before I even had a chance to get her harness, I saw her slithering under the bed out of the corner of my eye. I KNOW that cat is psychic! So, I went back outside for a while and finally caught her by surprise when she was sitting by the window looking out. She actually was quite calm as I put the harness on her. I snapped on the light weight cord-type leash and carried her outside...I watched her closely, because last time I walked inside for only a minute and when I returned she had managed to get herself all tangled up and the harness was almost off. When Gizzy started to growl at her because he thinks he's the boss of her and he wasn't consulted on her being outside, I carried him inside and put him on the windowsill while Middi was outside sniffing around and tentatively exploring the front yard with me watching carefully and taking some photos: Gizzy and Middi share this windowsill. My friend extended the width because Middi kept falling off when she was sleeping, so now it's about 11" wide and perfect for either one of them since they're both about the same size. (Yeah, when I first adopted Middi she was skin and bones and half her size - poor thing!) I love looking up into the trees and leaves...always have, since ever I was a kid. Looking across the street, watching my neighbor, Bruce, do his "gardening thing." He's the self-appointed horticulturist in our neighborhood and loves to prune and snip and plant...he reminds me a little of St. Francis of Assisi. Another view from where I'm sitting. You can see Middi on the lower left hand corner of the picture sitting there, just watching the birds and enjoying the outdoors. We have lots of birds here, especially Robins, Mockingbirds, Doves, Woodpeckers and others I don't even know. I will have to purchase a bird book, because this is the perfect place for birdwatching. My neighbor has a bird feeding station out back and I often watch them through my binoculars early in the morning when they are especially active. Middi was outside for a little over an hour just being interested in everything that moved. She even discovered the toad hole at one point and stuck her arm in there up to her shoulder. When she started to get antsy, I took her back inside and now she's sleeping on the couch, probably dreaming of a bird. From now on I will take her outside more often.