Book Review and more

I just read the book, "The Girl Who Chased the Moon", by Sarah Addison Allen.  I loved it and was very upset at the end.  Why, you say?  Because it ended too soon.  She could have kept going and made it into a long book.  I never want the books that I'm enjoying to end.  I mean I really get involved with them so when I start getting toward the end I slow down, yes, because I don't want it to end.  I know, I know that is just crazy but what can I say, anyway I was enjoying the book very much and with a blink of an eye it was over.  I had finished it on the second day and I was not reading it constantly.  Oh, I was so sad.  Never fear as I can assure you I will be reading it several times more.  Hey, maybe she'll come up with a second book to follow or better yet a second book to follow "Garden Spells".  That is very good.  She, the author, has  a way of writing that makes you feel safe, warm and that nice things really do happen and on top of that there really is magic in the air.  I have also read "The Sugar Queen" by Allen.  They are all great reads. Enjoy

SPRING TIME IS HERE !!

Yes, I know that I am shouting but I am so happy the weather is so nice.  We have been outside a lot and enjoying the sunshine.  We even have our chairs on the patio where we can see the sunrise.  It really is beautiful.
     

What a Week !

Wow, and wow again.  Well, not exactly a whole week but close enough.  I will remember turning 62.  I spent the day (March 9) with Jim.  First we went to the Bidwell Mansion in Chico,CA.  It was great.  We have gone through it before but it's been several years and a lot has changed.  Mr. Bidwell is the main man who started Chico among other things.  Anyway won't go into all that detail, look it up if your interested.  His home is big and beautiful.  What has been added on the tour is the kitchen, cooks and maids quarters.  Pretty cool and we enjoyed it very much.  The style was, a women had to have an 18" waist.  What?!  They even started girls at 8 years old wearing the corset so they could reshape their ribs.  Reshape, heck, they deformed them.  How awful for women and so glad we are over all that.  Not that I"m that happy about some of the styles for women and girls now.  To go from deforming yourself to all out flaunting your body is quite a stretch.  Anyway, getting back to the day.  After the tour we went to Spiteri's Deli.  What great sandwiches they have.  Best place in town for a lunch.  The day itself was just a little cool for Ca but at least it wasn't raining.  Then we decided to go to the movies after all it was Tight Wad Tuesday.  We had decided on "Avatar".  So we are in line and Jim sees it's in 2D.  So he asks and it was not showing in 3D now as they had moved it out of that Theater.  Evidently not every theater is able to show 3D.  Well we really wanted to see  the movie  "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D.  So we picked that.  Now bare in mind this is not one of the movies you can get on the discount for Tight Wad Tuesday.  So we ended up paying full price. Yikes!!  Not something we usually do.  I will say the movie is great and enjoyed it very much.  We came home and had a great cup of coffee and talked about our day.   Tootles

Today a Special Date for me

A Special date.  Today is the absolute last time I will be able to say I am 61 years old.  Now that I am in my later years I realize the importance of such a date.  We all, when we are younger seem  to be hurrying the hours to go by, so that big date of a new age is upon us.  Well, I for one have realized, hey, you have a whole year to celebrate that age what about the age you are leaving behind never to experience it again anyway not in this life time.  It's not that I don't want to get old.  I'm not one of those people who cringe at the thought of gray hair (mine is white) or who count the wrinkles on the face.  Unless of course you would like to hear about my neck.  I mean what is up with women's necks as they age.  Not all of them it seems.  It's hard to look in a mirror sometimes.  Sometimes, ha, how about every time I look in the mirror all I see is this strange thing below my chin, or should I say chins.  I mean come on, it's bad enough that we have to age and now more than ever watch what goes in our mouths but to put this horrible excuse for a neck in plain site is just a bad, bad joke.  Of course I try to hide it behind scarfs.  Yes, most of the time (I hope anyway) I am able to just look fashionable with my flowing scarf blowing in the breeze.  Sometimes it blows too much and. "OH, NO, well you know what I am getting at.  I am determined to fix it, lose it, or just continue to hide it.  Now getting back to celebrating today, the date of March 8.  It's the last time I will be 61 and it does make me sad to be leaving it behind.  I can't really say anything major or really exciting happened this year to mark it's passing.  Just that I can no longer state, that is after tonight at midnight that I am 61.  You know we could turn the numbers around and say I'm 16.  Now wouldn't that be a kick, being 16 again.  After half a second thinking about it,  NO, No thank you.  Yes, it would be good to do over some things but I don't think you can pick and choose which things you would like to do over.  I'm mean lets face it, it just wouldn't work and besides who says it would be better.  Maybe it would be a whole lot different and just maybe it would be a whole lot worse.  I am pretty happy with where I am right now.  I like, no let me say I love my life right now, right at this moment and I wouldn't want to change a thing (well, maybe a few things) but on the most part nothing.    I just want to try and remember this day and think back over this year and remember some of the things, maybe not headline worthy, but things I did do this year to remember and celebrate. 
I just hope somehow this year I helped someone and didn't even know it.  That's the best, I think.  Just for the rest of the evening I will celebrate life, my life and hope and pray for the following year to stay as happy as I am now.  Keep smiling, and hope who I'm smiling at gives it back.  Sometimes that is all any of us need is for someone to give us a smile.  A warm smile, that says, "Hey, I see you there and want to wish you a very good day".  You know the smile I'm talking about.  Not the one the clerks, checkers, sales person gives you with there bleached white teeth that are so abnormal and odd it's frighting.  They do not even look you in the eye as you purchase your items but those teeth are shining bright.  It's even hard to get anyone to look you in the eye anymore.  It use to be if you pulled into a parking space and someone was sitting in the car next to you, it was automatic when you got out of your car you said, Hi, or How are you , or something to acknowledge that a person was sitting there, you saw them and gave them a greeting.  Now, oh my God, people are almost afraid to even look there way let alone say something.  It's strange, very strange.  I could go on and on about this but I won't tonight.  I will continue this at a later time because for the rest of this evening I am celebrating my last day of being 61.  Tootles

Rain, rain go away !

My older brother use to sing to me "Rain made it rain and she thought it was a shame".  Funny uh.  Well, living here in Ca. I want it to stop raining because we want to be outside.  Believe me I know most of the country is in blizzard weather and for that I am so sorry.  I would not want to have to deal with snow.  I mean you can only make so many snowmen or have a snowball fight (although I must admit some of my best memories are growing up in Kansas making snowmen and having snowball fights. Ha!  Well,maybe it's the age,).  Now that I'm older I can't seem to get enough sun, especially in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand and sun warming my back as I sit outside in a lawn chair.  Heaven.

Tonight we are going to Tight Wad Tuesday at our local theatre.  Is not that a funny line.  We are going to see Valentines Day.  Yes, I know Valentines is over but that's how it is with Tight Wad Tuesday.  We might not get to see the first runs but we do get to see them at a discount price, it's a night out, and we don't have to think about the rain.  Sounds like a plan to me.

Right now I'm watching the Food Channel.  Don't you just love this channel.  I swear I can always turn it on and relax and enjoy.  They make cooking healthy, fun and easy.  I mean I have tried a lot of the recipe's and they are good and easy to make and to top it off healthy for you.  My favorite is Giada, Barefoot Contessa,  Sandra Lee, Rachel and of course Paula.  She reminds me of my Mom's cooking. 

I also love watching HGTV.  Especially house hunters when they go outside the US.  I don't get that, I mean some of the countries are fine but who wants to buy a condo with all the latest furnishings and half a mile down the road the local people are living in poverty.  I mean come on, people.  Being a little decadent aren't we.  I would rather find a warm ocean beach in the good ole USA and help the locals  if you can afford the area you can afford to put back.  That is just one girls opinion. 
I do like the show Color Splash.  Isn't he good.  Most of the time I do agree with him on color and style.  There use to be a decorating show on with a guy name Christopher  ? .  I don't remember his last name but he was the best.  No one has come close to his ideas and his how-to-shows.  He would take you through how to do all the decorating and even the best price stores.  I really wish he would come back  I remember he decorated a studio apartment.  Just one room and part of that room had kitchen cabinets, small stove and small frig.  Of course off of this was a small bathroom.  Anyway by the time the show was over he had divided it into kitchen, living room and bedroom.  It was amazing !  I was so impressed and it looked adorable.  Christopher where are you now????

Speaking of which my own place could use some cleaning up so will write more later.   Tootles

Oh, Those Diet Books

What can I say, I have every diet book that you can think of or so it seems.  One will tell you to eat all the meat you want along with some other things, I forgot.  Now let's think about this...all the meat you want.  Are you serious?  I rarely even eat meat.  So this was not something I was excited about.  It did not work.  Especially since I can't remember what else I could have.

Then I tried the grapefruit diet.  You were suppose to have a grapefruit in the morning the first thing and I think more throughout the day. YUK!  Have you tried grapefruit?  Well, I hadn't before I started the diet. OH MY GOD!  Once my face went back to normal (which was several minutes) and I somehow got over the bitter taste.  I decided this was not and I mean Not for me.

I have tried so many it's really funny and I am sorry to say, but not surprised none of them worked.  You know I was in line at the grocery store a few years ago and a woman customer was telling the checker about her new diet and how she was trying to lose weight.  There was an older gentleman who was next in line in front of me.  He listened to them talk and when there was a pause in the conversation he said, " Why don't you just close your mouth."  Enough said.

After all the diet books I will say I joined Weight Watchers.  Let's face it that is the most sensible diet out there.  It's really not a diet at all.  You just learn all over again how to eat properly and don't overdo.  Simple.
I have tried Nutra System.  I loved it.  Who wouldn't the food is very good.  It's delivered to your door every month and all in all not that much more than if you bought the food yourself and prepared it.  No cooking on your part, all you do is heat it up.  No dishes unless you want to put it on another plate (who would do that).
Plus you really feel like you have your very own cook inhouse.  It was super.  I just couldn't keep everyone else out of them so it did start to add up.  It would be great for single people.

Then I went for health books.  I mean I read everything I could get my hands on about what vitamin this food has.  Why your body should have it.  What is best for your gut.  Then I got into food combining.  Yes, that's right.  Now I'm consumed with being concerned about the foods I'm eating together.  Can you believe this?  Well, I'm sure with some people it's true and can have an effect on their digestion but all it did for me was give me a headache and a tummy ache.  Hey, I might have lost a few pounds.

What I have concluded is, stop, listen to your body and less is more.  Like the gentleman said, " Just close your mouth".        Tootles

FOOD ! Let's get real.

A little change of pace here.  I thought I would talk about our food of today and why are we having such a hard time with weight .  First of all I am not a nutritionist.  I'm just your average women trying to make sense of the health problems we have today.  Everything I write is my opinion from the many books I have on the subject.  Food that is, healthy eating, and medicine for your soul. 

I swear I knew more, not realizing it, when I was 11 and 12 then I do now.  I  made a lot of better choices and never questioned myself like I do now.  I was not over weight not by a long shot.  I filled my plate with  small portions and only the food I knew I liked.  I never took more then I knew I could eat.  Never did I eat until I was busting or so miserable I had to unbutton my pants.   I mean come on, why do we do that ?  I haven't actually unbuttoned my pants at the table but I have stated after a meal I wanted to change into something more comfortable.  Yea right, more comfortable for my tummy which is in great discomfort.  I knew then without realizing what I was doing that food is very important for your body just not so important that you throw common sense out the window.  I remember my Aunts commenting that I ate like a bird.  Well maybe that was the way to go.  Now let me make this clear...NEVER did I starve myself.  I did not then nor have ever had any kind of eating disorder other then indulging too much.

What I have read is just that, it's really better to eat less, a lot less. 
I do have my theory on why some of us do over eat, especially at night.  We are lonely and with the struggles of today and what we have had to give up and know we can never have, when that plate of yummy food is in front of us NO ONE is going to tell us we can't finish the whole thing.  Let's face it who is going to stop you ?
We feel as we are eating that food, we are getting away with something.  We have it here and we are not going to pass it up, that would be like denying yourself some pleasure that you know you deserve.  So we are going to talk about this and maybe together we can figure this whole food thing out.  Are you game ?

One thing I do want to touch on is my Mom was a wonderful cook.  In her opinion it wasn't a meal if you didn't have meat and the best meal was with something fried.  YUM! YUM!
She made fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn (usually creamed).
Pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans (all our veg. were the can variety)
Hamburgers on buns w/mustard, ketchup, pickles, onion (if you want them).  Mom would put the bottom of the bun on top of the burger just before it was done and place the top of the bun on that then put a lid on it.  That way the bun was steamed and also some of the edge would get in the grease (yes, I said GREASE) and be crunchy and yummy.  With this meal some of the time she would make her own fries.  Oh My God, they were so good and sometime we would have chips.  This particular meal she would usually make on Saturday night as it was a quick meal for her.  Usually all of us had plans for the evening.  My brothers were on dates.  I usually met my friends at the show and my parents always had plans with family or friends, visiting and or playing cards.  Now on Sunday we always had a pot roast, if we stayed home.  Mom would add cut up potatoes, carrots (she always peeled them and sliced in half) and on top of  all this was a cabbage cut in fourths.  I can smell all of that cooking now.  We also had meatloaf and with that she would have baked potatoes always with lots of butter (never with sour cream) and usually green beans.  That's the two vegetables we mostly had and always out of a can.  I don't remember Mom ever having a garden she just was not an outdoor girl even though she was raised on a farm. 
We always had a meat and usually fried, chicken, pork chops, hamburger, liver and onions and sometimes fish.  Not from the store.  Our fish was from the city lake or one of my families ponds, usually cat fish and sometimes carp ( yes carp, I know they are full of bones but Mom had a way of frying them and  you just used your tongue a lot to feel for the bones). 
When Mom made us a sandwich she only used one slice of bread folded over.  That was a sandwich.  You were never encouraged to over eat or eat too much.  Yes she made homemade cookies.  In fact our cookies jar always had cookies in it.  If by chance it became empty believe me as fast as she could make a batch it was done.  We would never have more then two cookies at a time and usually only one.
It's so funny with all this cooking my Mom used lard.  She would go buy it from somewhere.  I don't really remember where I just remember her happy with pure white lard.  That is what she made her cookies from and of course frying.  I do remember crisco being on the shelf but that was only used when she was out of the pure white lard.  Never did she buy any of the cheap brands of shortening.  Not if you cared about your family.  I will say this, her one rule was the lard had to be at a certain temperature before you put the meat or what every you were cooking in it.  If not, she said that is when the grease soaks in your food and ruins it.  She was right of course because her food was good.
One thing we didn't do so much was snack.  You had your three meals a day and dessert.  Usually cake and pies and of course cookies.  If you were really hungry and dinner was an hour away you could have a cookie.  Only one as you might spoil your dinner.
I will have more to talk about.  Tootles

Tuesday February 16, 2010

Wow  !    What a sunny happy day.  Spending time outside is one of the greatest ways to use your time.  Shut off the TV, computer, and anything else that is keeping you inside and run do not walk out side and soak up the sun.  I can sit outside, watch and listen to the birds.  Watch my three cats, Eleanor, Elviria, and Edgar and the three dogs, Tasha, Bella and Olivia.  The cats stretch out then they look for the birds that are flying in the bird bath.  It is so cool to watch them take a bath.  They really do take a bath.  It's a scream to watch, water is spraying every where and they even spray under there wings.  Of course the cats are watching all this and salivating wanting to get that bird.  I do not want them to ever get the bird and if they should I will try and free the bird.  I know it's natural but I don't want it in my yard.
Now the dogs are busy racing around the yard after each other and just generally enjoying the warm weather and being able to use some of the pent up energy.
What am I doing ?  I get in my lawn chair with a cup of coffee and just sit.  I think about everything.  I think about the birds, the dogs, the cats, the sky, the trees and what flowers I want to plant.  How I want my yard to be by the middle of summer.  Oh, it is going to be so much fun.  How I love the out doors.  I try to fix up the outside like another room.  The days are getting longer and warmer.  Beautiful.  Tootles