Time and 2011

It has been over a month and this may be the last blog...2 operations, 2 sons visit, home for a week, family and friends and 2011 is quickly passing. On to two new projects and life is time consuming...

Wow, time flys by

The days between blogs are lengthy but with one son in town, food research, two consulting jobs a new project and daily living there has been no time.

I'm convinced more each day that if we took the time to cook, eat properly and exercise disease would be contained to a smaller population. I think cutting down on meat, no fast food or very little plus a healthy dose of fruits and vegetables including raisins, dates, figs all the things mentioned in the Bible and Americans could and would be much healthier without the medicines, doctor bills, are horrible heath care. Waiting alone makes a healthy person want to scream...patience in NOT my virtue.

Just as any form of living is illustrated biblically so is eating...it is in black and white. How to live, how to eat, how to treat one another...it is simply a reading lesson.

Back to the food issue

According to one source there are health benefits to eating vegetables and fruit and reducing red meat...cancer, obesity, reduce heart disease, fight diabetes, reduce carbon footprint, minimize water usage, reduce fossil fuel dependence to name a few.

Eating right is a GREEN choice. By reducing the amount of meat we consume will help fight a lot of negative issues: During WWI 10 million families, 7000 hotels and 425,000 food dealers observed meatless Monday for more information go to www.meatlessmonday.com

The Applied Research Center or arc.org has information for assisting those interested in becoming healthier consumers.

Wow, food facts and benefits

Amazing what you find out through research...working on a project for church, well really the minister and researching Biblical foods. It is truly amazing the way God designed foods listed in the Bible that give us the nutrients and disease fighting properties to live by. So much of Biblical foods were for a reason to protect our health. Cinnamon which I love the smell of, the taste of, baking or on toast with a little sugar and one teaspoon with a tablespoon of honey can help arthritis!

Zuchini is low in calories but one cup can supply 10% of our daily fiber...quite a wollop for a little green squash! More on this latter...on to putting together fun facts for Methodist.

Hitler & King Corn

Wow, having watched King Corn and the Rape of Europa in the past week I never knew the history of Hitler's artist binge on Europe and stealing art from the Jewish people, the Russians and more. Watching the documentary of King Corn and it is no wonder we have an obesity issue in America. With corn, corn by-products and the way cattle are raised now on corn by-products with no movement on the plains but simply idle cramming in cattle holding pens, corn is creeping into so many food supplies.
If not corn, corn by-products or corn fruitose in drinks, sweetners and more the finger points directly to the problem of obesity in this country. For those on restricted income, the ignorant, the poor, the uneducated choosing fast food is a sure way to increase weight and have less quality in the diet.

Scary new information and about the dictator from Hell and American diets!

Time does not stand still

This has been a demanding summer. The heat is on, literally. After two medical surgeries and numerous meetings, numerous requests, entertaining, reading, writing, and even some arithmetic on top of three projects where is the time flying off to?

The days are full and life is sweet. Work continues and whether we believe the economy is on the mend it still continues...each day starts with physical exercise, mental exercise(work) and the daily tasks of eating, sleeping, hygiene, nurture and nourishment...each day will end and another morning begins. We can put our heads in the sand or we can come up with the attitude "I can, I will, I believe". And another day of promise for all with health and the ability to move forward.

Wow, what can happen to sun exposed skin

June 13th I had a basal cell carcinoma removed and this the fourth day I still look like a red/blue wounded raccoon. There was little communication from the doctor's office. When can I resume exercise? When the antibiotic ointment is gone can I switch to poly or neo sporin? When can I anticipate the swelling to go down? How long will it take for the drainage to stop? How long do I have to remain horizonal?
Can I wear makeup and when? When can I get water on my wound? I want desparately to wash my hair, when can that happen? Do I protect the wound from water and for how long?

Only when I called with a question were any answers given...one at a time...do you think if plastic surgery was an everyday occurance these would be some of the things a patient may want to know. This wasn't for fun or youthful looking, this was cancer...slow growing cancer.

wow! can you believe this weather!

Half the country is sweltering in heat this summer. Our AC is going too often and in our home we try to keep day time temperatures around 80 degrees. Night time is a different story because it is just too hot to sleep if we don't turn it down a bit.

So in being aware of the constant drone of the AC is not fun, knowing the power bill will be out the roof! Just like the cold in the north part of the country in the winter, in the south there's heat but this year it's just plain hot everywhere on the map.

After the storms

Even attempting to volunteer doesn't seem to work, immediately after the storms I signed up with the North Conference through the church. The first day was fun because I fielded calls from New York, Spokane, some little town in Illinois, Oklahoma, one of the Carolina's. The connection made over the telephone is amazing when people reach out from the rest of the US to help. It is what church and faith are all about, serving one another. Everyone gets that, it is in The Book ie Bible.

We live in a beautiful southern city as well as a beautiful neighborhood but I want to leave so bad to be closer to family. Little did I realize how bad the housing market was when we put the house on the market. With the economy is still in the tank it may take awhile!

Our world is unique and our values are so confusing to me sometimes.

Why?

Watching the movie earlier today Water the Elephants I was shaking by the time the end was near. Someone so evil as to hurt an elephant or man is beyond me. The circus master had people thrown off trains, and was mean to the elephant. The elephant was perceived as stupid but it was far from it. The story is beautiful for those that can sit through the brutality. I could not.

Having read several of Jane Goddall's books recently I respect the need so much more to prevent our animal kingdom from extinction. When we kill off the animals, we'll be next in line.

A country of excess, still

Reading something the other day about one country that makes idling engines against the law. Now that's an idea. Oh no, not in America. We love our freedom to do things that now only hurt the environment but waste money too, like idling engines.
I see people pull into a parking lot and even on a beautiful cool day, sit with the engine running while they're on cell phone. Why?

Americans are hated in so many places and I suspect our excess is one of the reasons why we are hated. If the population is hovering around 330 million and for each person in the country to save just one gallon of gas per year that would be 330 million gallons! Just a thought

Reason for Hope

Jane Goodall's book is so full of thoughts for saving nature, saving animals and being kind, not just to nature but to man. The spirituality that comes through her words are powerful. If only one woman's views could be instilled in the hearts and minds of the world. When I choose the book the librarian said "she is an example of what one person can do" and truer words were never spoken. Her grit is amazing because like all who live long enough there are the trials and tribulations of life, losing a loved one, or many loved ones, the pain of seeing war, seeing the aftermath of war, seeing a child's life snufted out by war and the list goes on and on. It's is living with purpose that counts. Understanding God's reason we are here and in some large or small way contributing to others. The very reason, I believe, He gives up life.

Really paying attention to the situation

Reading Jane Goodall's book Reason for Hope she points out that at one time there were 2 million chimps in Africa and now (1999 publish date) there are only 150,000. A drastic reduction to say the least. Why does man in the search for truth and knowledge not realize our encroachment on nature will eventually be our own demise. I noticed recently while peeling a potato the skin appeared to be so thin. When we mess with Mother Nature, in this case called genetic engineering, we are messing with God in the wrong way. Another example is a documentary we (hubby & I) were watching on TV about the salmon in Idaho not being able to procreate because of the dams (8) that were built on the Columbia River (through Idaho). The salmon could not get back to their breeding grounds. Artifical hatching did not work...the forces of nature are powerful, witness the devastation in Alabama this past week and yes there are endless examples. Man may be strong but man is NOTHING compared to nature and God's designs.

Killing off natural habitate, buying exotic pets, not taking nature serious, not paying attention to what God intented versus allowing our egos to control our actions against man and beast and earth, not good!

tornadoes and power

Thank God we were spared the disaster that hurt, killed, and destroyed so many in the state of Alabama. As insignificant compared to others we had no power until Saturday afternoon. It was such a relief when after a day of yard work I came in for a drink of water only to have the lights flicker on. I feel so grateful for having survived and feel so badly for those that lost everything. In 1979 we moved a household full of furniture and all the paraphernalia that goes along with moving a family of four. Robbers stole the moving van and it's contents...not a fun filled happening. There was no loss of life, but the stealing caused me great pain, the emotional type. I lost my babies pictures and everything my grandparents had given me. The tears were in the heart not the eyes. My sons will never forget I'm sure, the loss of everything they knew. Tragedy make us grateful for what we have when we are spared the pain.

Eggs and other Easter delights

Yes, recycling is great but why, why do we need to have plastic eggs. What is wrong with a dozen natural eggs, colored, hidden for the children to find and then make deviled eggs for dinner.

Plastic has taken over our world with electronics packaging, toy packaging, holiday paraphernalia, food packaging, cosmetics, clothing and the list goes on and on. Is nothing sacred from plastic? And that does not include all the bags everything is dispensed into to carry it from the stores where "stuff" is purchased. Even the craft items are going to plastic. If oil is so much in demand to make plastic how much dependency do we need on foreign...what?

Green and hotels

Have you been in a hotel room on business lately? They post signs about the millions of gallons of water wasted on laundrying towels and have been for some time now. Well I respect the message but why not add a recycle bin for paper, plastic, etc. Encourage people to use these bins for water bottles, newspaper, plastic cups, etc. We were recently in a very nice Marriott (Hubby and I) and received a free gift bag upon arrival. Personally I could have recycled glass, paper, plastic had there been bins to use.

Did you know glass can be ground so fine it can be used in making kitchen counters, bathroom counters, plus. Yes, let's save the water but also all the other stuff we throw away too.

Ok I know this is redundant

Yesterday during the daily walk, which was a bit late for me, yet I witnessed yet again a woman sitting in her gray van, talking on the cell phone and running the motor. It was a beautiful day and no air conditioning or heat was necessary it was in the low 70's! Yet while we run our mouths and engines and pollute the air!

Why do Americans think their is no end to the oil/gas/money/air quality is beyond me!

Ask those poor people in Japan about air quality! Americans are fickle and no very nice to the environment. Where will all this technology thing take us...but that's for another blog.

Environmental Issues

Wow, seeing a DVD from a converted handycam tape in the early 90's I realize even back then I had a passion about the environment...recycle those milk jugs, water bottles and yes even the aluminum foil...it's the same material a Coke or Pepsi can is made from so recycle as much as possible. Earlier today I had a conversation with a neighbor and yes those long showers feel good but water is limited also. The earth was not meant to be abused and man does every thing possible to abuse the natural resources including oil, gas, water, air, you name it.

I remember my son coming home from Germany after serving in the military and he was indignite that where we lived, at the time, the recycling was limited. Now I can recycle glass along with everything else.

People are not paying attention

A quick trip to the grocery and the lady next to me is sitting in her car with the motor running...it's her money at over 3.50 a gallon but it is everyones air quality. This is really poor of me but when I see this I want to ask, seriously, where are you living? Where is your brain? Do you really want to waste gasoline and pollute the air?

Our world has changed and so much of what we do is not considerate of the environment, other people and in the case above her billfold!! With summer on the way and the AC running especially in the southeast and southwest I personally would rather save money now because the power bills will be high enough. Plus caring about the air quality is so important.

Passion and position go hand in hand

Loving what you do is much more important than what you do...Years ago I recall seeing a magazine ad. It was a picture of a man in a boat on a lake with a fishing rod and the caption was finding what you love is success...interesting thought.

Life's little moments and finding success is important. Success is not just financial but also success with relationships in your life. Being able to give back to your community or church is success. Being able to lend a hand to someone in need and there's a whole lot of that out there.

Summer is coming

One of the summer activities I dread is watching people drive to the little lake in the neighborhood, park their car and leave the AC running...I realize it is a free counry but can we please leave the car off and the AC off...why are you at the lake?
It saddens me when I know gasoline prices are up and yet there are people who will run the motor to stay cool...this happens everyday! One couple with their black Mercedezs does this summer and winter. Why don't to go home and use the furnace or air conditioner there in your home?

Just because we have the money can we not protect the environment instead? Leave the place a little cleaner for those exercising all around the lake. Can you see the runners, walkers, babies and all the people that need to breath clean air?

vehicles, exercise and courtesy

What do these three things have in common? Well pulling my car into a parking space at the gym this morning the only one open was between a truck and a SUV. The problem was the SUV was HUGE and the person driving the SUV had not parked straight into the parking slot. This has something to do with courtesy.

Being so close to the other car is not in my comfort zone. Yesterday while returning from the gym a car almost hit us (hubby was driving) because the driver was not within the lines of the lane. The frequency with which these types of incidences occur is scary.

So people are being rude to the point of danger, they drive huge vehicles and and they are not exercising good judgement on the road...this is not a new subject but it just truly is concerning when human life is at stake...

A few things learned in corporate America

3 things I learned in the 20 plus years of a career in corporate America:

1) People do not communicate well
2) People do not solve their own problems
3) Expectations are high, actions are low

Communication occurs and sounds like one's voice...we all want to be heard but do we really have much to say? No, we don't!
People are rarely objective about problem resolution, we often ignore our own issues, and we all have issues! We're people.
Most want to chat, grumble, compliant, few want to solve and move on...as Richard Clark said in CEO Speaks, Sage Advice During Turbulent Times...people to not have a sense of urgency.

Green Chatter errors

As a professional I really do not like to make mistakes but alas we all do...the last blog I noticed I did not puralize a word...big difference in the way it reads!

The last of the big news!! Checking spelling does not do it sometimes because spell check is not going to pick that up! Maybe technology will improve to the point of "reading" content...that will put the proof readers out of work!

I need all the help I can get...because I am human and I do make mistakes.

plastic bottles

Recently while hubby was watching a ball game or something on the tube there was a "commercial" of sorts...the voice said in 2010 we consumed product in enough bottle to go around the world 190 times! Does that include milk, soda, water, and all the other garbage we consume? Don't know but that is a lot of glass and plastic.

The real question is do we need to use that much plastic and glass...?

Water, paper and waste

It has been three years and three months since I purchased paper towels...habits can be broken and paper towels in our kitchen were a habit to use when draining bacon, sausage, ground beef etc. So now I save the grease (to be stored) until the city has recycle day in the spring. The city uses grease to make fuel as they do with wood. When the branched fall and they do fall it the wood is put on the street the city will pick it up, turn the wood into fuel.

I do not know the technology but the police cars run on ethanol as do all the city's vehicles. By not using paper towels it saves a little bit of water from being wasted, it saves a little bit of waste from the land fill, it saves a little bit of money...look up the story of the man throwing the star fish back in the ocean. It may not matter to the ones he can not throw back, but it matters to the ones he can throw back. Every little bit helps.

Alas, another way to guarantee revenue

Amazing how companies find ways to insure their revenue stream...in an effort to stay away from environmentally healthy practices instead a guaranteed income is born.

Our one year old refrigerator was manufactured in such a way that it is necessary to change the water filter every six months @ $40 twice a year. Most vehicles need oil, filter, every 3/6K miles depending on the vehicle. Then there is also the air filter and transmission fluids changed at longer intervals. Yet a friend of mine that owns a Mercedes reports an oil change once a year. We have been making cars and refrigerators a long time yet can not design as to not creat waste...and those are just two examples.

It truly saddens me, we tout environmental needs yet design can not match what is truly needed...less waste!

cyber issues

In the past three weeks technology has caused a frustration high around here. At first logging into email, then search engine trouble. Today I can not log into my Go Daddy email. Bottom line it is always something. The more we rely on the internet the more problems we will occur.

I wonder if all the young girls realize how vulnerable they make themselves by posting the wrong message. The crooks even post, obviously and unfortunately for the precious loss of life recently witnessed. Technology is wonderful but it is also dangerous. Our youth is vulnerable. I recall a saying from my youth "go carefully into the night". Well, the same is true "Go carefully into the social media sights", they are not safe. Posting personal information on the internet is not smart!

Our humble little church

Today our minister reminded us of our baptism. Most Christians are baptized as babies and we do not remember because of our infancy. It was delightful to have this blessing today. Unfortunately I wore a hat which I quickly took off not wanting to miss the blessing. I was also glad to have my husband by my side.

He frequently stays away from joining me on Sunday simply because the demands of clients. It is such a wonderful experience to witness His presence in the presence of so many fellow parishioners. Our church family to very special and we are going GREEN as today our bulletin was half the size of the usual handout. Going GREEN is one tiny way to help Mother Earth and one so many churches can do by reducing printing and reducing paper products. I for one would not hesitate to take plates and flatware from home, wipe off and return home for washing when serving a meal at church...just a thought on reducing waste.

Another look at Christmas

We have lots to celebrate in less than a two month period of time, birthdays, anniversary and Christmas. As the last of the holiday decoration disappear I think about the true meaning of this special holiday. As always there is a positive and a negative to holiday wrappings with all the paper and bows. How many people are employed by the industry that produces all those designs and product (positive) yet how many resources are used to make a throw away item (negative)? How many people recycled the paper (positive) yet how much water was used to make the paper (negative)? As the debate rushes through my mind I thank God we have the freedom to celebrate. Americans have much to be thankful for and freedom is HUGE!