Total Domination

Food! Good food, bad food, good food that’s bad for you, bad food that’s good for you. Does food pretty much dominate your life? It dominates mine. There are so many choices out there as far as food. You can buy organic, wild, farm raised, locally grown, all natural (not the same as organic), low carb, low fat, gluten free, lactose free, 100 calorie packs, high protein, high fiber, etc etc. etc… what is one to do?


Here is what I normally do (normally being the key word)…

I buy organic canned goods and milk. Not because I’m some sort of yuppie food snob, but because I have major stomach issues, and organic seems to be better for my digestive system. Don’t ask me why… I have no idea. I’m just going by experience. Lately I’ve been buying frozen fruits just because it lasts longer.

I read the back labels on everything I purchase. This makes for a LOT of time in the grocery store. I look for low fat, low sodium, and low carbs. I don’t care about calories. Never have, and guess what… it seems to work as far as my weight goes.

I stay away from red meat. Not for any other reason except that my digestive system rebels against red meat. I will admit that it feels good to drive by cows grazing on the sides of the road, and know I don’t eat them.

I buy lactose free milk, but regular low-fat cheese. Not sure why I can’t have milk, but cheese doesn’t bother me. We buy the low fat white cheeses and low fat swiss cheese. Good stuff!

I buy red pepper hummus instead of bean dip. This is incredibly yummy with Simply Naked pita chips.

What I did this weekend… I’m not really sure what went wrong this weekend except that maybe I’m pms’ing. Or maybe one really bad thing led to another? Who knows…

3 Krispy Kremes, 1 Long John Silver fish filet, and beef ravioli… ughhhh. Thank goodness I’ll be back in the gym tomorrow. That is if my digestive system will allow me to leave the house. I will not feel guilty… I will not feel like I’ve polluted my body… I’ll just move on and learn from my mistakes. ::sigh::

As promised!

This is a video of the flooding our backyard experienced a few weeks ago. I was finally able to gt it posted! It's actually pretty cool. :)

Stranger things, I suppose

Nosiness is not becoming, BUT it is a fact of life. I hate to stereo-type this way, but I would say women are far nosier than men, which puts the wife and I “in the know” about all sorts of things we have no business knowing! The problem with us being “in the know” happens when we suddenly realize we don’t know something fairly important. Would you consider it important?

A few months ago, I blogged about the neighbors having their home remodeled. Well, I suppose I blogged about sitting out on the balcony at 2 am and realizing the contractors were working that late next door. Anyway, the point is… our neighbors and our curiosity when it comes to them.

The neighbors to our right are known to our family and friends as “the vampires.” We call them this because before the remodel job, our kitchen window looked straight into some unknown room of their house. Hanging on the wall in this unknown room was a vampire. Now please keep in mind, I am home alone way too much for my liking AND I happen to have an odd fear of vampires that stems from the few years of my childhood that were spent in England.

I’ll never forget the night I was standing at the sink, rinsing off the dinner dishes before I loaded them in the dishwasher, when I looked up and saw this THING hanging on the wall. A few short thoughts went through my head like “It’s not Halloween…” or, “Maybe it’s a fun thing for the grandchildren…” etc, etc, etc. Suddenly, while I was staring at that thing on the wall, the woman who lived there passed by the window. She had long white hair done in two braids, and she saw me staring in. Honestly, I was too busy trying to figure out why someone would have that hanging on their wall to be embarrassed about her catching me looking.

When they started their remodel, we were very curious as to what was going on inside that house. There were contractors there day and night all summer long. We saw things being hauled out, and things being hauled in. We figured they must of have totally redone the house and have joked around about how we want to go ask for sugar just so we can take a peek inside. Overall I’ve not questioned our curiosity nor have I thought it strange that we don’t talk to these neighbors. I didn’t even really question it as much as the wife, when we saw the husband/grandpa of the house at the office supply store, and he ran in the other direction when he saw us. I figure he’s old, rich, and eccentric. SO, I didn’t think anything until the wife said “I think his wife must have died.”

When our other neighbor’s wife died, we knew. We made sure he was okay, and we supported him through her illness. As far as the vampires, we’ve not had the opportunity to get to know them. I would at times wonder why the daughter was over there almost every day for awhile. It did occur to me that maybe someone was sick, but I was thinking more of a mental illness… I guess due to their odd behavior. Then the daughter moved in with her little girls (who we also never see). Then they started the remodel. The wife is right… I’ve not seen the mother/grandmother in I don’t know how long. I kind of hope that rather than moving on, she’s simply moved out.

It’s just so odd to me to be so close (at least in the vicinity of daily) to people, but NOT. I don't know, maybe it's not "important" for us to know, but it's important... you know?

Sunday, Football, Pride, and Loss (again)

Well, it’s Monday and I am officially wiped out. I started the day this way and I have only myself to blame. We have dogs… three very small ones and umm, they sleep in the bed with us. Not something I’m proud of, and not the smartest thing in the world if one wants a healthy night of rest. Callie, the “middle child” kept crawling around the bed last night, in and out of the covers… ugh. Tallulah, like her mother, has no patience for that, and would give a deep growl every time Callie started moving. Let’s not even discuss Calvin, who sleeps well enough, but has other major issues, and jumps up ready to go to the restroom as soon as the alarm goes off. Needless to say, you can’t catch a break.

Yesterday was Sunday. Sunday means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some it’s a day of rest, a day spent with church families, a day of football worship, and for others on this particular Sunday, a day for a Gay Pride Celebration. Gay pride parades are something else to see. Men dressed up in their finest ball gowns or skimpy leather wear… women riding topless on motorcycles… toddlers sporting t-shirts with the claim of having two mommies or daddies… rainbows everywhere you look… candy, beaded necklaces, and other party type favors flying through the air as the colorful (in more ways than one) floats go by… live music playing in the park located the last block of the parade, and last but not least the protesters waving their crosses and shouting how much God hates the gays.

The wife and I didn’t attend Gay Pride… she hates that stuff and feels like it gives gays a bad image. I guess she’s right… people tend to focus on the “side shows” of the parade and not the point behind it. The point being… it feels good to get out and be who you are for one day. Hold your partner’s hand in public without judgment… for one day. I like going to the parades. This doesn’t mean I show my “rainbow” colors. I just love the people watching. It’s a sight to behold. I love the music, I love parades in general and you have to admit Gay Pride is the brightest most colorful, most celebratory looking parade out there! Although… I would have never taken my small children to the parade itself. The after-party in the park is more family friendly.

So this Sunday we had a “football worship” Sunday… wasted time. The Dallas Cowboys seem to be a bit overrated this year. I’d rather spew gay pride than show Cowboy pride at this moment.

MS doesn't rule us

Wow, I can’t believe how quickly the weekend flies by! I’m not even sure what happened these past few days!

Just kidding about not knowing, but lucky for you, I’m not going to give a minute by minute, or even a day by day, account of it. You would be snoozing on your keyboard before you made it to Saturday! What I am going to talk about has a little to do with my last blog:

What Rules You?

This Saturday morning, the wife had a tennis match. Now please keep in mind that we live in the great state of Texas, and right now, our portion of Texas is hot, humid, and miserable. She loves tennis, is good at it, and signed up with a league for these reasons, and also to lose weight through activity. The weight loss is going well, but I worry about her on the court in this extreme heat.

The wife has MS and I believe the heat exacerbates it. She suffers from a variety of symptoms that we try to pin down to specific activities in order to lessen their occurrence. Knowing what I know, and knowing her the way I do, it’s hard to watch her out there at times. She’s very competitive and works hard to win. She can also laugh and joke around with opponents and tennis partners alike. I see this, but also know she’s hurting, is possibly numb on one side, and her hearing is more than likely going in and out.

All of this is going on within her, possibly more than what she's told me, but no one can tell. I know that after the match, she’ll have a hard time cooling off, and a hard time forming her thoughts and then translating them verbally. It won’t last long, but I know she’s suffering from an exhaustion we can only imagine.

I watch her play tennis, and she glances at me frequently to make sure I’m watching her. I love and admire her and… I know what rules me.

What rules you?

This is actually a topic from a blog that I posted on a long ago website. ;) I've decided to revisit this topic, but not because what rules me has changed. I’m pretty stable as far as that goes… thank goodness for small things, right? As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize something. This “something” isn’t amazing, but I’m appreciative of any realization I happen come to.

So, the realization is this… it isn’t really about what rules you. It’s about what rules those you love. Or maybe the circle is this… if the ones you love rule you (in a good way), then I suppose whatever rules them rules you. Make sense? Now that I know this, I’m not quite sure what to do with it, but like I said… I’m thankful for the realization.

Hold on to Sixteen...

"Hold on to sixteen, as long as you can, changes come along real soon make us women and men."

I remember listening to Jack and Diane way before I was sixteen years of age. Back then, I wondered what was so wonderful about being sixteen. Even when I was sixteen, I wondered then what was so wonderful about it. I guess I didn’t have the typical childhood/teenagehood (Yes, I made this word up!). Anyway, it wasn’t normal, so I look back at those times and am so freakin’ thankful I’m not stuck in that horrible vacuum of the teenage years.

I heard that song today, Jack and Diane that is. It came on the 80’s station. Not sure how I feel about that, but I guess it’s good that it’s called 80’s on 8 and not Oldies but Goodies. That makes me happy. You know, sometimes it’s the little things in life!

Thumbs up YouTube Videos

I watched some very interesting videos tonight and wanted to share them. The first one is called The Money Tree... my observation with this video is how accustomed we've become to our environment. We've learned not to look out at the world around us and we just go, go, go. We no longer stop to appreciate the unusual because we don't see it... SO, for this one, go to YouTube and search The Money Tree.

The next one is a portion of a church sermon. It's about 10 minutes long, but I really enjoyed the message this woman had. This video is called Pecking Order-Dealing with Islamophobia. I was in tears...

Well, to be honest I was anyway. We watched two documentaries with live footage from 9/11 and they were absolutely heart wrenching. It's horrible to see people standing in this same location many years later, protesting and burning religious (though it may not be OUR religion) books, and yelling profanities. We need to remember the people on the planes... the fear they must have felt. We need to remember the people hanging from the sides of the building, begging for help from emergency phone operators... We need to remember the fire fighters and the sound of fear in their voices as they tried to rescue people. We need to remember them and respect their memories. Turning the tragic events of 9/11 into an excuse to preach hate is not respecting those who lost their lives.

The skyline from the ferry this past March:


Can you see the face on the grave marker? This was in the cemetary of a church close to Ground Zero...


This was inside the church that served as a haven for the rescue workers for months to come...


Inside the church...a memorial


What we did to remember 9/11

Today the whole family went to a nursing home to visit with the residents. We took Tallulah again and they just loved her. The kids were shadows as usual, but the girl actually surprised me by taking charge of the list and leading us through the halls. The boy was having an allergic reaction to the dog another volunteer brought, so I'll not be so hard on him this time. I do want to see more interaction from him next time though. I loved going to the nursing home. Those people love visits, and appreciate the little gifts of soft socks with no-slip bottoms and big-print crosswords.

Tomorrow we will go to the Salvation Army and feed the homeless. This will be very good for the kids and I'm excited about it. I'm really trying to encourage feelings of empathy within our children. We shall see.

Appropriate response?

This is a quick one...

9/11 is quickly approaching. There are positive things we can do to honor this day. Make it a day of service. Volunteer your time to those less fortunate, help someone buy a meal, take something special to a local veterans hospital.

I'm so disgusted with the preacher who wants to burn the Quran. A God-loving man... unbelievable. I'm disgusted with the way he's abusing the freedoms we're granted in our country. What will this prove to anyone? I just hope people of the Muslim faith understand that not all Americans support this useless act, just as not all Muslims support acts of terrorism.

Make 9/11 what it should be, a day of remembrance, and honor those who lost their lives, honor those who survived, honor those families who lost loved ones... honor them by helping others... not by committing acts of violence or committing acts that could put our country, our soldiers, our homes, our children, in jeopardy.

Rain, Tornado, spin, spin, spin

We have a nice, calm waterway that runs through our back yard and it's usually beautiful. Today, we've had so much rain, that our waterway has begun to rage!The wife took a video of the raging waters before we arrived home and I tried to post it, but for some reason it wouldn't take.I'll try again later, but for now, under all of that raging water, is our stone pathway and deck. At least our paddle boat is holding on tight! We hope it won't sink :)

As of right now, the wife is watching the emergency weather report and cheering it on as one would a football game. She's very excited about the wall cloud that's turning into a tornado on the television screen "right before our eyes!"

30 minutes later:
The excitement soon changed as we watched the wall cloud form into a perfect tornado that touched down less than 10 miles from our home. There was a quick gathering of the animals, putting away the dinner I was cooking, and getting the temporary shelter prepared in the restroom. The sirens soon started blaring, but luckily the tornado lifted and moved past us just in the nick of time!

Ahhhh, the trama of it all... now I'm worn out!

The Brangelina Debacle

Okay, I’m not a person who tends to follow celebrities and their crazy lives, but since I wasn’t feeling well today, I decided to grab a “trash” magazine while at the grocery store. I came home, unpacked the groceries, climbed in bed, and read all the latest celebrity gossip. Some of it is just craziness. Who are the Kardashians, anyway? Are they from a reality tv show? Those women are NOT attractive at all… ughhh.

Some of it, I can almost relate to. Take Brad and Angelina. They appear to be disagreeing on the press time Angelina spends talking about Shiloh. She’s their 5 year old who “wants to be a boy.” First of all, I have to say that it’s good to hear she’s giving that baby press time. I still remember the big deal that was made when she called Shiloh a blob. So now, she’s “gushing” over the little girl. She’s proud of her for being who she wants to be, and has apparently been telling people about her strong personality, likes, and dislikes. I do wonder if she is simply making sure people know she is not choosing this for her child. I mean, I remember when our daughter chose to wear red sparkly Wizard of Oz shoes with everything, and I do mean everything. I made sure people knew I wasn’t fashionably ignorant. Silly, I know, but c’mon. We worry about what people think, no matter who we are in the “food chain.” ;o) Maybe her gushing stems at least a tiny bit from that. I also think she wants people to know she supports her child no matter what.

I also understand Brad’s side of things. He’s a private person who very rarely discusses his children individually and I think he wants to protect Shiloh from negative publicity. I can just imagine the right wing Christian groups are going nuts with this. I can see them using this sweet little girl as a poster child for reform camps or as an example of something morally incorrect. “This is what happens when you have children out of traditional wedlock!” Bleh…

So, there’s my take on people I don’t personally know. My little bit of gossip, hopefully with no judgment passed. Well, except when it comes to the Kardashians… yuck!

Loving this!!

Is the long holiday weekend over already? We’ve been experiencing a “cold front” these past few days. In Dallas, it’s called a cold-front when the temperature dips into the 80’s. I’ve loved the weather and get the feeling it has been a major contributor to my restlessness these past few days. I mean, we’ve got cooler weather, college football season, a convertible, and my love for road trips pulling at me like a child having a temper tantrum.

This weekend was spent cleaning the garage… fun stuff huh? It was also spent hanging out at home and volunteering with a group I’ve signed myself up with. I’m very excited about the things I’ve signed myself up for. One is a volunteer organization that goes to nursing homes, shelters, etc. etc. I like the volunteer group because I can take the kids to most of these activities. This will be so good for them! The wife and I did a nursing home on Saturday (the kids were with their dad), and they allowed us to bring Tallulah. The residents love dogs!



Tallulah at the nursing home wondering what her job is.

The other group I joined is a walk/run group that meets quite often during the week. I like the walk/run group because I really need some “me” things to balance out the “wife’s me things” (her tennis group), so this is part of my “things for me” project. Yes, I’ve made it a project. If I label it a project, and then put it on a list, I am more likely to do it.

There are SO many groups out there to join! One looked really fun, but I’m trying to remain within the confines of the wife’s blessings, which means I cannot join the “liberal drinking group.” This is a group that meets at local hangouts to discuss politics, and yes, to drink. That sounded like fun to me, but I’m pretty sure the wife wouldn’t want me doing that… I’ve still got it marked down as a favorite just in case, though. Perhaps I can find a road trip group… THAT would be fun! I wonder how you would avoid meeting “crazies”. Hmmmm…

So I’m really interested in knowing what others do to balance themselves out as far as their relationships with their spouses or significant others, their family, and their social activities.

What if there’s a group of women getting together planning a “girl trip.” They’re leaving the husbands behind and setting off on an adventure. How does that work in your relationship? How would that work for mine? I mean, we’re both girls. I’m fairly certain the wife and I wouldn’t go on a “girl” trip without each other. It wouldn’t bode well for either of us.

Time for me to get back to my Monday house-wife duties… I hope everyone has a wonderful and short work week!

“Dear washer and dryer, I have placed the laundry basket full of clothes on top of you with the hope it would be washed, dried, ironed, folded, and hung by the time I am done blogging. Thank you!”

Buli

This is a picture I found on a Dallas Observer site. Unfortunately, I wasn't armed with a camera and the camera on my phone has stopped working. Maybe due to too much dropping!



Today I decided to come to Buli to do my writing. Buli is a coffee shop in what we call the “gayborhood.” I don’t often frequent the “gayborhood,” but I do have moments that pull me to it. I love it. It’s very eclectic with its mixture of shops and eateries. During the day it’s quiet and, you wouldn’t know it was the “gayborhood” except for the rainbow flags flying from the corner posts. The wife and I don’t agree with the flying of the rainbow flag, but it does add more color, making it bright and cheerful… happily gay, ya know?!Evenings are a different story. On a weekend night, the bars are open and bursting forth. You’ll see drag queens that actually do their make-up better than I ever could… oh and let’s not discuss how much better than me they look in their mini dresses. Anyway… I love the atmosphere, I love Buli, and I love people watching while I try to come up with something funny and creative for my book.

Today I’m sitting outside because though it is overcast, the temperature is beautiful! I’ve been watching the people come and go and have come to the conclusion that Buli is more of a gay-man hang out now. I felt odd being the only woman here. I’m not the only woman now. As the surrounding businesses are taking their lunches, the crowd is beginning to have some diversity. Oh and you can just call me Mary Poppins now. While sitting here, birds have been landing on the empty chairs at my table chirping away. So, I fed them, and now there’s a whole “crowd” of birds hopping around on the ground. Oh… and now a pidgeon! I may burst forth with song at any moment!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and a safe, happy weekend!