For Crying Out Loud

It's been a busy weekend, as most are. I think I must like to be busy. I remember Daddy always saying to me, 'Don't you know how to just sit and relax?' I guess the answer is, no.

Saturday I took a class on buying and using a digital camera. This is one of the classes I 'coordinate', so I thought it would be a good idea. And since I am thinking of being in the market for a digital camera, I thought it would be a good idea. Actually, I just wanted the instructor (a friend of mine) to just tell me which one to get. He didn't. Oh well, at this rate it might be a little while before I get it. Though I think I would like to have it when I come to Israel in January.

Then I did some errands on the way home, nothing exciting. When I got home, Kristin, Daddy, Mendon and I went out and picked cherries. Monty is looking a little pale (actually, I think powdery mildew might be the problem) and there weren't very many cherries this year. But enough for Kristen to make a pie (her first!) and I made cherry pandowdy, froze enough for another pie and 6 pints of jam. I haven't done that for quite a while and it was fun. Of course, I don't actually eat jam much anymore, but if I should want some, well,there it is.

Then tonight, I went over to Aunt Cindy's and picked her blackberries. She has plenty this year and was happy to share. Actually, she invited me over to pick. I froze some of those and left the rest for us to eat tomorrow with cereal and such.

I also made Merry buy some art. We had had a discussion in the office a while back. Gloria had been to a store in Beachwood (there is a new shopping Mecca there -- like the one in Columbus -- Easton? Eaton?) that sells prints of famous art for around $5000. I commented that I prefer original art and for $5000 you could make a living artist quite happy. Well, Merry called me an art snob. Whatever. So today when we went to the art festival at Wildwood (quite small and intimate -- nice) she found some photographs that she really liked. As revenge for calling me an art snob, I encouraged her to buy these. Of course, to save money she bought them unframed, so who knows how long it will take to get them hung.

Next week I am going to go to Fort Wayne Indiana to cook for an extended Ruhi class. It is a long weekend anyway and I am taking Thursday and Friday off to make it a little longer. I think this will be fun. I am taking my own knives, of course, and didn't want to lose them, so I got out the Dremel that Daddy had given me about 2 years ago and engraved the handles. It was fun and now I'm not afraid of the Dremel and might even use it for some other projects. Oh the possibilities.

Life just keeps getting better and better.
See you all in my dreams . . . (I'm off to bed.)

Posted by at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

First, I apologize for making my issue your issue. Not that I feel guilty, I've gotten over that, more or less. I think the whole mother/issue thing is that we do make our issues yours, or else you take them in and make them your own. I think as mothers, especially as a young mother (when I was a young mother) I didn't realize how vulnerable you all were to taking on my issues.

Anyway, let me share with you some of my thoughts on this issue.

First of all, I was a skinny kid. Like the brunt of a lot of teasing skinny. My mother used to try to fatten me up with bananas with brown sugar and heavy cream every day after school. First, I'm not really sure why she wanted me to be fatter (I think this was about 6th grade or the beginning of Junior high). Second, it backfired. I would come home and have my banana heavy cream but then I would be full and not eat my dinner. Not the effect she was looking for. Okay, so I was thin. Then I got married and was a skinny mother. I pretty much ate what I wanted to and ran around after 4 kids. Sure I put on about 5 or ten pounds, but that just brought me closer to normal. My clothes fit and I felt good.

Then I turned 35 and Mendon turned 3. I stopped running after him and carrying him as he became more independant. And I started to gain weight. Well, still no big deal, but then the size 16s were getting tight. I had started out as a size ten. I don't think it is unreasonable for someone my height to be a size 14, but I was not going to go into a size 18.

Now that was my wake up call, but not my motivation to lose some weight. I was gestational diabetic with at least 2 and probably 3 of my kids. That increases my chances of developing type II diabetes by something like 80%. The biggest factor in preventing type II diabetes? Weight control. Next, I have some arthritis in my back and toe and my knees have started to ache. Again, prevention? Weight control. Next risk in my family is breast cancer. Prevention? less well defined, but again linked to weight control. Let me see; my brother and grandfather both died of stroke/heart disease. Prevention? Again, weight control.

Do I hate all the hype and media hysteria focused on weight? Yes. Is there a good reason to keep fit and one's weight under control? Yes, health issues. Do I think the whole heart disease has been over done and the links not clear? Yes, but . . . I think it is just the conservative view to take the best care of your body. Over all, fit and a good weight, is just a good conservative approach to one's health.

Cooking Light. Nae, I imagine that you never did actually read any of them, did you? I sent them to you because I really liked the recipes. Some of their recipes are only "light" because you are only supposed to eat two or three bites. At first (years ago when they started) they focused on 'as good as the real thing" which is horrible. By the time I started reading it, they had switched to 'this tastes great', and the recipes that I tried did! You can love food that is less rich. There are great flavors out there. Not everything has to be fattening.

Now, my real battle is to get up off the chair and exercise! Getting fit is better for you than being skinny. Remember, my mother didn't think skinny was healthy. Neither does Gramma.

My love to all of you, in whatever shape you're in. I am again sorry for burdening you with my own baggage. I think I was trying to help you to not fall into the particular pit I had fallen (gaining weight and not realizing it), only to push you into another pit.

Posted by at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)