In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want. ~ Traditional Irish toast

     Today is the day we reflect on the year past and consider the year ahead.  It is a time to set new goals, as insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.  In addition to reflection, it is a time of celebration, for whatever else, we are still here  Just to be alive is a grand thing. I wish you a strong and beautiful new year.





She Smiles, She Wonders

Beauty and sadness.

     I hope your Christmas was merry.  Mine was wonderful....as a friend of mine put it, "beautiful and sad."   Alex told a few electric jokes, but the "undercurrent" was of their absence.  Who knew we'd miss electric jokes?
     My family and I were all together in Austin this year. Thanks J and Kuldeep for hosting all of us.  We enjoyed the beautiful weather; such a contrast to home.  It was a crisp but sunny 9 degrees when I arrived at my home airport yesterday. My car actually started right up, but I had to do a fair amount of scraping of windows. This morning it was 7 degrees when I arose.  Austinites.....appreciate your weather.
     While in Austin we saw the Texas Capital and the Trail of Lights, ate out at food carts (a picnic in December), and hiked. I loved the sounds of children's laughter.
     Charleigh was absolutely wild to see me when I picked her up.  She was all over me for at least 10 minutes of jumping and pawing.  We still have a lot of work to do on her behavior, but at least she was happy I was back.
   
     
     Qu◍tables.. 

"Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store." ---Dr. Seuss

Happy Holidays to everyone.

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
                                                 Charles Dickens

Exercise with intensity, and flying monkeys.

     Here is an interesting blog from Dr. Andrew Weil.  I don't have heart disease, at least to my knowledge, but maybe this explains why years of walking my dog didn't make me more fit or help me to lose weight.... we need some degree of intensity in our exercise.

EXERCISE INTENSITY CUTS HEART DISEASE RISK

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012 AT 6:44AM | POST A COMMENT | SHARE ARTICLE

You can walk for an hour a day, but that won’t necessarily affect your risk of heart disease or stroke. But walking fast or jogging is a different story, according to results of a newly published Danish study. Researchers at Bispebjerg University Hospital, in Copenhagen, followed more than 10,000 Danish adults, between the ages of 21 and 98, for 10 years looking at the amount of physical activity they performed as well as its duration and intensity. When they joined the study, one in five of the women and about one in four of the men hadmetabolic syndrome, a combination of conditions that when taken together dramatically increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. This disorder was most common among study participants who had a sedentary lifestyle. After 10 years, the researchers analyzed the data they collected on the study participants and found that walking fast cut the risk of heart disease and stroke in half; jogging cut it by 40 percent. Unfortunately, taking hour-long casual walks had no apparent effect at all. The study was published October 8, 2012 in the online journal BMJ Open.
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My Grandkids and nephews jumping on hay bales at my parents farm, Thanksgiving 2012.  Photos by Ben Johnson.

Grrrrr. The dog ate my dinner.

     I had my leftover BBQ tofu sitting on the counter while I heated my tea.  When I came back, my tofu was gone and Charleigh was skulking out of the kitchen.  Tofu?  She steals and eats tofu right after eating her own dinner.  What kind of a dog eats tofu?  The same kind of dog who eats plastic, paper, cloth and anything else within her purview.  I've got to give her credit....she left the cauliflower alone.  Looking at the photos from the Dog Shaming website lets me know that I'm not alone.

     Interesting report published just before the high-calorie holidays........
     CNN just reported on an article published in the British Medical Journal, the Lancet.  Obesity is a bigger health crisis globally than is hunger, and is the leading cause of disabilities around the world.  500 researchers in 50 countries compared health data from 1990 to 2010 for the Global Burden of Disease report.  With the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, every country faces alarming obesity rates, an increase of 82% globally since 1990.  So, obesity causes more of a health burden globally than does hunger.  The Western lifestyle is being adopted around the world and the results are the same.

Love is all you need.

     How cool is this?  Watch Pastor Terry Jones drowned out by NY crowd singing "All you need is love."

America's Health Rankings by State

     The national health rankings are out.  Every state is going backwards when it comes to health.  Colorado is ranked #11, with the lowest levels of obesity and diabetes in the country.  However, in 2012, obesity in Colorado rose from 19% to 21.4% and diabetes rose from 5.7 to 6%.
     Nebraska is ranked #15, Illinois at #30, and Texas came in at #40.  Mississippi and Louisiana are tied for 49th place and are dead last. Vermont is again #1.
     Read  more about health in your own state on the link below.  Thanks to the Healthy Eating Healthy World blog for bringing this topic to my attention.

United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings.

The child-gun-massacre capital of the known universe.

     Here is an excellent short blog on gun control mentioned by the Weighty Matters blog.  I agree.  What is your stance?

 Adam Gopnik's New Yorker piece on yesterday's tragedy.

A tired dog is a good dog. Maybe someday.

     Someone just told me about this medley of "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.  I am behind the times, I know, as the popular Hawaiian singer died 15 years ago.  It is a  beautiful version.  
     But I am old school.  Louis Armstrong's version of "What a Wonderful World" is the classic I love best.

     I took Charleigh to the dog park today.  She really needed it.  She has been getting into trouble this week.  Twice she took plastic lids out of the sink and ate them, once puking it back up on the bedroom carpet at 4 AM.  Yesterday she stole a banana from the fruit bowl and ate it, right after she had eaten her dinner. I've been walking her a lot, but it doesn't take the place of a good old romp in the park.  A tired dog is a good dog.  Now she's napping peacefully on the couch.

Hug your child especially BIG tonight.

     I just took Charleigh on her 2nd walk of the day.  The elementary school was just getting out.  Cars full of parents were lined up in an orderly manner on both sides of the streets.  Parents gathered and talked.  Children ran out of school and chattered and laughed.  All was as it should be.....here.
     What a difference from the horrendous tragedy which unfolded today in Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut. Keep your thoughts and prayers with them, and hug your child especially BIG tonight.

Food For Thought - Daily Inspiration to Follow Your Dreams

It's a new day, a new week.

Stuff that makes me giggle

Happy snowy Sunday.

Come on the peace train, 1 million members needed shared Sun Gaze's photo.

EVOLVE! Campaigns

The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse. ~Author Unknown

     I am still thinking of goals/resolutions for 2013.  I haven't hiked Mt. Bierstadt yet, which is a Colorado 14er, a peak of more than 14,000 feet in altitude.  It is relatively close to the Front Range.  Ben, assuming he comes to Colorado over the summer months next year, has agreed to hike it with me....which is a big goal for a "flat-lander."  Thank you Ben!  Set that treadmill for BIG hills to prepare.

   

Perspire Fitness 

     That being said,  I skipped running group this morning.  It was dark and cold at 6 a.m., and my bed was so warm, and I am feeling lazy and anti-social today.  I have so many excuses which sounded excellent at that time. Next week, I'll do better.

For Moms everywhere.....

   

Food Revolution Summit

“How does it feel to be in your mother’s shadow?” one interviewer asked Anna Lappé during the book tour she went on with her mother, Frances Moore Lappé, for their 2002 book, “Hope’s Edge.” To which she replied: “I’m not in my mother’s shadow. I’m in my mother’s light.”

Thanks, Mom.

For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.----Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan....ya gotta love him....




Free Your Mind and Think shared Reginald Anyichie's photo.


“I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way.” 
― Carl Sagan

“It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.” 
― Carl Sagan

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” 
― Carl Sagan

2013, Another chance to get it right.

     Winter is to arrive tomorrow...cold weather here we come!  Charleigh and I were out longer today, and took the opportunity to use the Grazing Elk trail, which I doubt we'll be able to use again until spring.  It is single track, and gets really muddy over the winter. We can't go there in the heat of the summer as there are rattle snakes (it is single track so I can't see them hiding in the grass).  It was windy but delightful.

     I have been thinking about resolutions for 2013.  There is a Runnin' of the Green Lucky 7k run on March 10, 2013 for which I have registered.  I know the weather can be iffy in March, but it is a family fun run, not competitive, and takes place downtown. 7k works out to be 4.34 miles, so it is doable.  It is around Dean's birthday, so I can run it for him. Putting money down makes me more likely to follow through, plus I am a wee bit Irish.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right........Oprah Winfrey

What I'm up to...

     I sold Dean's car last night after running an ad on Craigslist.  It was a great car and always dependable.  I hope it lasts its new owner a long, long time. It is a relief to have it sold, though...one less thing to worry about. However, every afternoon when walking Charleigh if I see a similar looking gold Honda, I think that Dean must be coming home from work early.

     I also made some home-made whole wheat bread to bring to a neighbor's home for dinner.  It has been a long time since I've done that.  It turned out great, I shared some with Kate, who was a big help in helping me sell the car, plus it made the house smell wonderful.

Roald Dahl - The Twits, weird pic but listen to the words, they will move you

Patty Hensley via Shelby Cook

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. ~ Marcus Aurelius

How beautiful this tree is!  I wish I could do this....maybe in 20 years or so???


Distant Runners

     The weather continues to be absolutely unnaturally beautiful and warm.  Winter just has to come eventually, but meanwhile, Charleigh and I are making the most of it.  Later on the treadmill will await me, but I'll still have to walk Charleigh in the snow and ice.

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.”― Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life

Dare to be different