We Love You Soooo Much

Good morning, Grandma!

Is that AGE beginning to creep in around my eyes?
Cheesin' it up!

I love you!

On the schoolbus, amongst other

strange middle school creatures!

Summer

Summer

Summer's almost here

Hooray!

I'm sitting in school

Waiting for the day

Summer's here,

School's out

I get home from

school and start to shout!

Fun

Have some fun

Frolic and run

School is out

Play with your friend

Let your fun never end

School is out

Fall Work

Fall Work

When leaves fall

I hear my mother say

Oh, get the rake

For goodness sake

You're going to rake today.

I get the rake

And hope

Soon I'll get a break

Three bags are full

(This job is dull)

I don't know what happened...I guess the poem wasn't working for me. There appear to be some later additions, but they're as bad as the rest of it. Oh well, not every at bat can be a home run.

I love you

www.seemommyrun.com

Seek Out Vs. Avoid

I was just about to sit down to Blog when Maddie announced the approach of the mailman, who was kind enough to deliver the latest Vegetarian Times into my mailbox. I can't wait to look inside it. In the meantime, I will leave you with this list of dish descriptions to either seek out or avoid, as listed in Living Well, Staying Well published by The American Heart Association:

Seek out: (suggest low-fat preparation)

• steamed
• in its own juice
• garden fresh
• broiled
• baked
• roasted
• poached
• grilled

AVOID!!!! (Indicators of saturated fat)

• braised
• crispy
• in cream sauce
• hollandaise
• buttered
• in butter sauce
• FRIED!
• au gratin
• in cheese sauce
• basted
• prime
• potpie
• panroast
• creamed
• in gravy
• rich
• BUTTERY!!
• saute
• pan-fried
• escalloped
• stewed
• casserole
• hash
• with bacon or sausage

Why do it?

Pat plans to expand her operations to sixty milking goats plus a few ewes, but rejects the idea of becoming a large-scale operation. She is adamant about keeping the quality of the cheese high by making it in small batches. "When it gets so large that you get into the industrial part of it, it's not personal anymore. I wouldn't be able to have the attachment with the animals, and then why do it? I love my goats--why else would I work this hard?"

Taken from: The Farm to Table Cookbook The Art of Eating Locally by Ivy Manning

Going to the Market

Source: Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo

At first glance, natural foods and organics may seem more expensive than the regular grocery store or conventional produce. Keep in mind you actually get more for your money when buying organic fresh produce, because it's nutrient dense, without any fillers.

I think of it as investing in preventive care. Rather than paying on the back end for treatment of disease, illness and medical bills, I'm actively preventing future illness by being as healthy as possible from the start.

My body is my temple. My body isn't a discount body. Just because something is cheap or free doesn't mean I need to eat it, especially if I know it'll do me more harm than good.

If you're shopping at a grocery store, the rule of thumb is to stay along the outside edges, where all the fresh stuff is. The middle of a store is where products can sit on shelves for a year or more. Fresh is always better.

Age 62

In March 1942 General Douglas MacArthur abandons his command post in the Philippines, saying, "I shall return." He escapes with his wife, his son, his son's nanny, fourteen of his senior officers, and a half million dollars paid to him by Philippine president Manuel Quezon.

Source: A Book of Ages by Eric Hanson

Fourteen

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.
~~Mark Twain, "Old Times on the Mississippi", Atlantic Monthly (1874)

Taken from: A Book of Ages by Eric Hanson

More Profundity

Good morning! I hope you're feeling better this morning. Jennifer, if you are reading this, good morning to you, too. And Miss Shelby, please tell your mom and grandmother to give you a kiss from your aunt.

Here's another early glimpse of my forthcoming genius ;-), circa 1978:

Winter Play

When I go out to play,
I can hear my mom say,
"You can't play, it's too cold out today."

Finally, when I make it out,
I can't help it but I shout.

I hear the wind, "Shoo,
Shoo, didn't you hear your
Mother say, "It's too cold today"?

"Aw Shucks!"
I say,
"Maybe another day."

Gnome Gnotebook

And now, for your reading pleasure, the very first poem I ever wrote as recorded in my very first poetry book. Remember the Gnome Gnotebook you gave me in the second grade?

Spring

I certainly do like Spring
Where little birds come
Out and sing
Always keeping in time
Always sounding like a chime.

When flowers start
To bloom
All the children hoping more will
Come soon.

I especially like the weather:
The clothes you put on are
Light as a feather.

Purposeful

Once creative thinkers in all fields have found a problem, they approach it with a sense of purpose. They marshal their abilities and activities towards a certain end. In order to achieve that purpose, they embark on an adventure of building new skills, experimenting, and mastering their craft. They learn how to produce and manipulate the effects they intend to create. If their purpose is unconventional, then their behavior looks a bit unconventional, too.

Same source as listed below.

It's All Coming Together

A genius is a person who, seeing farther and probing deeper than other people, has a different set of ethical valuations from theirs, and has energy enough to give effect to this extra vision and its valuations in whatever manner best suits his or her specific talents.
~George Bernard Shaw

quoted in The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People by Carol Eikenberry, Ph.D

The Family that Eats Together...

The vegan menu requires creative substitution for the egg. For example, I substitute half a banana for an egg in pancakes. This morning, however, I didn't have any bananas, so I went with the other egg substitute and that is, 2 Tbls. ground flaxseed and 6 Tbls. water. Boil the water, stir in the flaxseed, let sit. This combination mimics the consistency of eggs. The pancakes were good!

Kale! Mmmm-mm! Saute some freshly pressed garlic in olive oil, add the destemmed, still wet from being rinsed, kale. After briefly stirring, cover pan and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Then add golden raisins/dried cranberries, etc. and roasted pine nuts. Same thing. Stir briefly then cover and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add a good splash or two of balsamic vinegar, stir, cook and, voila!, the most delicious and simple vegetable dish you've ever had in your whole entire life.

If I weren't a struggling vegan, I would eat the kale dish with a nice pork chop. Last night, however, we ate it with angel hair pasta and soy sausage tossed in vegan butter, garlic powder and *gulp* parmesan. (A non-vegan indulgence.) It was a high-spirited meal, unlike my experiment the other night with a non-traditional pizza...very sad, we won't discuss it.

I love you! Have a great day!

Cardiologist's Note

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of calories n French fries actually comes from the fat, not the carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes, even though "sweeter" in taste than white or red potatoes, have approximately the same number of carbohydrates per ounce. These fries are baked, which spares you more than 50 percent of the calories found in regular deep-fried fries.

Source: Longevity Made Easy by Richard J. Flanigan, MD and Kate Flanigan Sawyer, MD, MPH (a father/daughter doctor duo)

I love you!!

Sweet Potato Fries A.K.A "Sweeties"

2 large sweet potatoes, washed and peeled
Salt to taste (optional)
Oil cooking spray
Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. cut potatoes lengthwise into finger-like pieces or use a French fry cutter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil. Arrange potatoes in a single layer, not touching. Lightly spray the potatoes with cooking oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Turn once and adjust baking time as the potatoes brown.

Preparation: Easy
Number of servings: 2

Source: Longevity Made Simple by Richard R. Flanigan, MD and Kate Flanigan Sawyer, MD, MPH (a father/daughter doctor duo)

ZINC

Zinc helps fight infection and aids the process of wound healing. Good sources include wholegrain cereals, egg yolk, dairy products and red meat.

Zinc works with vitamin C, so plan your meals to include fresh vegetables and fruits along with zinc-rich foods.

Zinc and copper work together to strengthen the immune system and slow deterioration of your skin. Life bearing foods (nuts, grains and pulses/legumes) are good sources of both mineral micronutrients.

Source:Simply Radiant: Practical techniques to turn back the years by Bharti Vyas with Jane Warren

Philosophy of a Literary Agency

Part of the success of Pippin is due to a philosophy shared by all Pippin artists and authors.
The world owes you nothing. You owe the world your best work.
Evergreens—we want to create books that will stand the test of time.
We want to work with people in all media who share our philosophy.

As listed on the official website.

On Light

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.~Edith Wharton