This pun is up to Johnson standards!

                                                      3-31-13

You're amazing!

Team Hoyt...I love these guys. (email  subscribers will need to go directly to my blog to view video)

Fear the turtle.

     Good morning and happy Friday.  I hope you all have a happy Easter holiday.

     I am having trouble getting back into jogging, stretching, and eating right.  First I was injured and took time off.   Then winter came back with a vengeance, a last roar and reminder that we are not in charge of anything, plus I had company. All poor excuses, I know, but I let them get to me.  It is really hard to get going again and my muscles are sore just starting over.  I feel like a beginner.
     A friend sent me this Calvin and Hobbs comic.  I love Calvin and Hobbs.  If only paying a dollar would do the trick!


Scrambled Legs Running

     Then I saw this yesterday.  It is so true for me.  You've got to love the imagery.
     

"There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart. Ghandi"

     I have always planned on being cremated someday, as natural burials aren't yet an option in this country.  I would like my atoms to live on as part of nature, as part of a tree....watching the seasons change, with birds nesting in my hair....something like this:

Be the change you want to see in the world

     My brother mentioned that he and his wife plan to have their ashes commingled someday.  I love that idea and think I will ask the kids to commingle Dean's and my ashes someday.  This seems so much better.

Be the change you want to see in the world

     After one of our first dates Dean and I went to the Pub, a little basement snack bar between his college dorm and mine.  We held hands and talked for hours.  I will always remember this.  The following words and poem by the author Alexander McCall Smith remind me.

And finally, here is a poem about taking the hand of another. I wrote it some years ago, but it often comes back to me at unexpected moments. It is best read aloud, and if you are with somebody whose hand you can take while you read it, all the better. If you have nobody, then think back and remember somebody whose hand you would wish to hold, and imagine that that person is with you: an old friend, a lover of a long time ago, somebody for whom you would have done anything, the love of your life:

Take my hand and tell to me,
All that you would wish to be,
Show the landscapes of your heart,
Map the journey love may start.
Hard against the shifting sand,
Lie the signposts of that land,
In which the contours of the dream,
Make nightly visions holy seem;
Dream that once upon your knee
You entertain a lion to tea.
Quantum physics says to us
We shall dissolve in atomic fuss;
Remember me when all is still?
Of course I will, of course I will.

AMcS  (Alexander McCall Smith writing about hands)


Happy Anniversary, Dean.

Toxic Foods for Dogs

     Here is a good reminder of the foods toxic for your dog.  Be careful about feeding people-food to your pets.  The list includes grapes and raisins, avocados, onions, garlic, chives, tomatoes, raw and green potatoes, rhubarb, mushrooms, fruit pits and seeds, and tree nuts.


http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/141-toxic-foods-for-dogs-fruits-vegetables-and-nuts-dogheirs

Winter isn't giving up without a fight.

     It has stopped snowing for now, but will start again this afternoon and evening.  It is 2 degrees, though, and the wind chills are to be in the single digits all day. I think I will put off scooping snow until tomorrow.  I do have to bundle up and walk Charleigh-dog later. Other than that, I will be staying warm indoors watching a movie and reading.
     Kate's friend and her little daughter "Small Baby" got off okay on their flight to Europe yesterday afternoon.  Hopefully they should be getting home about now.  There were no movie screens on their long flight.....every parent's nightmare.

Winter's last laugh

     It is blizzarding here today.  We have at least 14" of snow on the ground thus far.  The timing is awful.  Granted, we need the moisture and it is a weekend;  but we have company that needs to fly out to Europe this afternoon.
     My daughter's friend and her daughter have been here for a few days.  I will really miss little Aelwen Victoria, a sturdy blonde 3 year-old Disney Princess, who calls herself "Small Baby".   Charleigh will miss her, too.
     I have scooped the driveway a couple of times so far this morning, but who knows how the streets will be.  No snowplows have ventured into my street.  My daughter Kate will be taking them to the airport shortly. Fingers crossed that all goes well, and that this is winter's last hurrah.

Spring Equinox

   
     Today is the first day of spring.  Celebrate.







shared from the Huffington Post Healthy Living blog

Ultimate Dog Tease

     This funny video has been making the rounds for a while now, but is well worth watching again.  (Email subscribers to my blog will have to go directly to the blog to watch).

     Another sign of spring....an irritating, idiotic bird spends an hour every morning flapping and knocking against one of my living room windows.  This has been going on for 4 days now.  It never learns.  Charleigh is no smarter and never learns, either.  She barks and jumps at the window as long as the knocking continues, so I end up shutting her in the bedroom every single day.

Two signs of spring...

     Spring must be coming.  The trail near my home is dry with only a few muddy spots, so Charleigh and I have been using it the past couple of days. I noted two signs of spring.
      1)  I've seen the first spring birds in the wild plum thickets....western or mountain bluebirds.  I can't tell which, as they swoop out of sight too quickly.  It is nice to have a flash of blue after the winter's dreary flocks of crows and magpies.  No robins or meadowlarks yet, the real signs of spring.
     2)  Equestrians must have been out on the trails this weekend...the second sign of spring.  Charleigh loves to eat horse-poop and we have continuing battles.  Will she "leave it" and get a dog treat, or will she dive down and grab it, and chew and swallow as fast as she can before I can stick my fingers way down her throat and flick it out?  Today's score:  Dog, 3;  Person, 2.  And I always end up with a hand covered with dog spit and horse poop, and with green nailbeds.  Nice.


Photo from dogshaming.com, not my dog but could be.

     Here is a welcome video on whether or not fruit and nut bars, and also dried fruit and nuts, cause weight gain.  The results are comforting as it seems they do not, despite being calorie-dense.  It is welcome news for me as I don't keep junk food in the house, but when those cravings do hit, as on dreary grey snowed-in days,  I have been known to eat dried figs or dates dipped in peanut butter, or Lara Bars (just dried fruit and nuts), or trail mix, until I am absolutely stuffed.  Those addiction centers in our brains crave sugar, salt, and fat, especially in combination, just as much as drug addicts crave their drugs of choice.  My drugs of choice are just healthier than some.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-fruit-nut-bars-cause-weight-gain/#.UUcffcErvlI.email

     I have started slow jogging again after a layoff, trying to heal my piriformis syndrome or proximal hamstring tendinosis or whatever it is.  It is like starting all over again, and all the hills in the neighborhood have apparently grown immensely bigger over the winter months.  (Mantra:  "Be...gin,  A...gain,  Be...gin, A...gain")

     I am a practical cook.  I never use recipes, and nothing ever comes out the same way twice.  I base ingredients on what is on sale, or what is in season, or whatever is in my pantry that needs to be used up or that  I have on hand.  I made Cream of Asparagus Soup yesterday that was fantastic, if I do say so myself.  It took more effort than I usually go to, but made a lot, so I have lots of leftovers. Yum. The white beans, raw cashews, and potatoes made it thick and creamy.  The lemon, cilantro, and dill made it flavorful.  I love cilantro.
                                     
Cream of asparagus soup:

1 onion, peeled and quartered
1# white mushrooms, washed
4 potatoes, washed and cut into eighths
2 carrots, washed
3-4 cloves of peeled garlic
2+ bunches of pencil-thin asparagus, cut up
1 can drained white kidney beans
6 cups plain soy milk
2 handfuls of raw cashews, maybe a cup's worth
1 Tbl dried thyme
1 Tbl dried dill
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
2 heaping Tbl miso
3 Tbl. low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, or more to taste
juice of 1 lemon
Optional: serve topped with diced avocado

Oven steam-roast the onion, mushrooms, potatoes and carrots in a covered pot with a cup of water at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.  Add the asparagus and garlic and roast for 30 more minutes.  Blend all ingredients in batches in your blender.  Combine in a pot and reheat until warm.  May need to add water if it is too thick.  Optional, serve topped with diced avocado.


PS, Sorry about the combined blog about asparagus soup, dried fruit, nuts, and dogs who eat horse poop, but that is my life.  If you have tender sensibilities, you must not be a dog-owner or parent or work in the health-care field as a lot of my family do.  We can discuss ANYTHING, even at the dinner table.

Be...gin, A...gain, Be...gin, A...gain

Life can be harsh and beautiful by turns. Often, it seems unfair. Why can't the beautiful openings last longer? I learned one spring that this movement from fullness to bareness is the inhalation and exhalation of the universe. 
The rhythm is what keeps us alive. It keeps us growing.
~ Mark Nepo
♥ Rivers in the Ocean

The most sacred place dwells within our heart, where dreams are born and secrets sleep, a mystical refuge of darkness and light, fear and conquest, adventure and discovery, challenge and transformation. Our heart speaks for our soul every moment while we are alive. Listen... as the whispering beat repeats: be...gin, be...gin, be...gin. It's really that simple. Just begin... again. 
~ Royce Addington 
♥ Rivers in the Ocean

     Focus on your breathing and on your heartbeat.  All life depends on them.  Even Gaia, our Mother Earth, respires. Fullness to bareness, happiness to sadness, all are a rhythm. My new mantra for running.....Be...gin, A...gain,   Be...gin,  A...gain.  Whisper it to yourself while listening to the planet's seasonal respirations.  So calming.
     Thnk, too, of hearing the heartbeat of a loved one, and how your heartbeat harmonizes with his or hers.  We are separate, but connected and interdependent.  Be....gin, A...gain.  Be...gin,  A...gain.
   

Where have all the monarch butterflies gone?

     Here is an excellent article from Mother Nature Network.   The fate of the monarch butterfly seems to be following that of the honeybee.  The number of monarchs arriving to overwinter in Mexico has dropped 59% this year.  I mentioned this problem previously after having read Barbara Kingsolver's fascinating new fiction: "Flight Behavior."  The monarchs and the honeybees are our canaries in the coal mine.

Where have all the monarch butterflies gone?

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun

And find your shoulder to light on,

To bring you luck, happiness and riches

Today, tomorrow and beyond.

-----Irish Blessing

And a Happy St. Paddy's Day To Ye.....

A family that's a team....a legacy worth working towards..

     I just read this poem this morning and really liked it.  I hope you do, too.

I don't want fifteen minutes of fame.
I want a life.
I don't want to be a flash in the pan.
I want a career.
I don't want to grab all I can.
I want to selectively choose the best.
I don't want to sell a company.
I want to build one.
I don't want to date a model.
OK, so I do want to date a model.
Sue me.
But the rest of my goals are long term.
The result of day to day determination.
I stay steady.
I redefine the word consistency.
Along the way there will surely be
moments of brilliance.
I am, after all, me.
But the moments will add up to something greater.
A record of excellence.
A plaque in a hall.
My name on a sandwich.
A family that's a team.
I'll never look back with regret.
I will always believe in the ideal.
I hope to be remembered, not recalled.
And I hope to make a difference.
JUST DO IT.

- Julianna Ludwig

        shared from I <3 to run

The power of the fork...

     Here is a well-written nutrition and environmental article by Dr. Mark Hyman. He makes some bold statements.  Chew on it for a while, and then vote with your fork.

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/food-industry_b_2868239.html


   

Be the change you want to see in the world

     

Be the change you want to see in the world

           Be the change you want to see in the world

Happy National Pi Day!

Who knew that March 14 has been National Pi Day since 2009?  So, happy Pi Day, and happy birthday to my nephew Jack.

I am guilty of this

     The sun is shining brightly today and the sky is blue, blue.  Thanks to my neighbors who helped me scoop my driveway.  It is nice to be able to get out of the house again although our street is a treacherous ice rink and I won't be walking anywhere for awhile.
      Thanks to all my family who called yesterday or sent a card.  It was a really sad day and it helped to know others care.

Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Dean.  We remember you.

Ours was an epic love story, and I won’t be able to get more than a sentence into it without disappearing into a puddle of tears. I will not tell you our love story, because — like all real love stories — it will die with us, as it should.

      John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Happy International Women's Day

                                                            awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com

Reminder to spring forward.

This takes me by surprise every year.  Must stock up on batteries.

                                                  Fiona Childs

Awesome takes practice

I gotta get a cool cape like this.



                                                       Dare to be different 


     Spent the entire snowy day yesterday getting my finances together for the CPA to do my taxes.  What a relief to be done!  I hope I have everything she needs. I wish I could get paid a couple hundred bucks an hour like she does for my tax preparations.  I'll worry about paying for it later.  I couldn't do it on my own, so really am grateful for the help.

Enjoy this beautiful weekend.

     Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets.  Enjoy!

The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.
~ Mary Oliver

        Rivers in the Ocean

****************************

     I have been spending the weekend gathering tax info for the CPA to do my taxes. Why, oh why, must it be so complicated?  This will be a more difficult year than most for me.  I have a couple of questions for the CPA before I continue, so have a break from it today.  I have been procrastinating on finishing this to the point that it is keeping me awake at night every night. MUST GET ORGANIZED!

    We are having a few days of beautiful weather.  I feel so much better when the sun is shining.

     I took Charleigh-dog to Clement Park yesterday.  She is training me more than the other way around.  I know now to have her harnessed up before leaving the house.....she will be too excited to hold still once we get there.  She becomes a whirling dervish when excited.  I know to attach her leash securely to the inside of the car or once I open the door she will be gone with the wind.  I know to bring a toy-kong filled with cheese so I can lure her back into the car once our walk is over.  And I know that she won't even hear my voice or feel my presence for at least a couple of miles no matter how good the treats I bring.  The ducks, geese, prairie dogs, and other people are much more exciting than any treats.  She is an extremely powerfully built, muscular girl.  MUST GET HER TRAINED!

A thought for the weekend....

What if our religion was each other
If our practice was our life
If prayer, our words.
What if the temple was the Earth
If forests were our church
If holy water--the rivers, lakes, and ocean.
What if meditation was our relationships
If the teacher was life
If wisdom was self-knowledge
If love was the center of our being.
~ Ganga White

                  from Rivers in the Ocean

PS  March is National Nutrition Month so let's all try to eat a little healthier.