Handy Tool - Elastic Glide

From Sewn Shorts

I was asked about the tool shown in my shorts tutorial. It is called an Elastic Glide. I've had it for a while, so I don't know where I got it, but I found that it's for sale at Clotilde.com The set has 3 or 4 sizes, and it's really convenient.

More Green Smoothies

Sunday night, I made enough for Monday and Tuesday's lunch:

• romaine lettuce
• some parsley
• 2 peaches
• 1 apple

Today's lunch was quite good. I made a lot, and I ate it all:

• spinach
• blueberries
• 1 banana

Some day I might consider taking pictures of the process. The only thing holding me back from that is that my kitchen does not look like a studio of any sort.

Friday's green smoothie

Friday's smoothie was even better:

• romaine lettuce
• small amt parsley
• one apple
• one kiwi
• a few dashes of lemon juice

The predominant flavors were kiwi followed by lemon. Very good!

Whoever you thought I was going to be

I wrote this poem in April, 2006:

Whoever you thought I was going to be

Ain't here now; she got up at three

In the morning before I was born'd

And you got me.

Whoever you thought I was going to be

Lives in your dreams; can't you see?

Maybe someone should have warned

You 'bout me.

Whoever you thought I was going to be

Is nothing like you, only like me.

I'm not someone to be scorned;

I'm just me.

Whoever you thought I was going to be

Lives in your dreams, so set them free.

I am not you; you should have learned -

I am me.

How we got our once-in-a-lifetime kayak story

Some friends of ours tried to tell us that Juniper Springs had some dead-fall in it, and there was an indication that absolute beginners should not go on that run, but, uh, really ...

Our first indication of things to come was that getting close to nature was like being married to it. We had to duck under trees and push away branches every minute or two. Often as not, we were alternately pushing away from trees and branches.

Every bend in the run had us going sideways towards the opposite "shore." That was the only sense we made of how the water's current ruled. The current was expert at breaking all the paddling rules; expected results never came.

Hard to believe there was a lull in the stream, and Paul actually got some pictures of a juvenile white ibis.
Oh, about that dead-fall? There was the big one we didn't see ... The river dumped us.

My life vest works great! I think my glasses stayed on because the strings holding my straw hat were tightened around my chin, thus crossing over my glasses' temple pieces. Paul got the boat turned over, and started throwing stuff back into the boat: two flotation cushions, tote bag (with now-wet towel, bananas, and jerkey - aah, lunch!), sun screen, bug spray, the less-full of two plastic water bottles

In a few seconds, two canoes showed up and the people helped by holding the kayak while we flopped back into it. They gave us our paddles and Paul's ball cap, which had been floating.

My cell phone was in a pocket of my life vest, but I knew I could replace the phone itself for under $30. Our small digital camera was in one of Paul's pockets, but we have a better one at home. Paul's wallet and keys got wet, but both of mine were in the car.

Somewhere after that, a low tree took Paul's glasses, but he keeps a spare pair at home. Another tree snagged his hat and the river sucked it in.

We will never do that run again. That's why it was a once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Drink my Lunch

It's not what you might think if you don't know me. I mean, it's not booze, or even a traditional protein drink.

It's Greens!!

Yep, my lunches at work have been what basically amounts to blenderized salads. Here's the line-up:

Monday
leftover salad with cheese and salsa
- yummy with a salsa attitude

Tuesday
red leaf lettuce, cut cross-ways and rinsed
one pear, quartered, cored, and cut up
a few mint leaves
1/2 Cup water
- just OK

Wednesday
6 large romaine leaves, cut cross-ways and rinsed
two bananas, broken up
1/3 Cup shredded coconut
1/3 Cup leftover iced tea
- the best so far

Thursday
romaine lettuce
bananas
strawberries
blueberries
blackberries
leftover tea
- tasted like a fruit slush

I put the smaller and wetter things into the blender first, greens on top, and liquid poured over. Then I blend on the Liquefy setting until it looks, well, blended. I pour this into a container which I then leave in the freezer overnight. When I take it to work and leave it on a napkin in the back corner of my desk, it thaws to just the right temperature by lunch time.

I thought I was doing this for my general health and for the health of my eyes. There is a nice side side effect of 3.4 lbs of weight shed, and I started just this week! I also don't have that mid-afternoon dragged-down feeling. If this is an experiment, it's not over yet!

I have made it a point to not change any other eating habits, except that two weeks ago we gave up carbonated beverages completely. Oddly enough, that had no effect on my weight.

I recommend any book by Victoria Boutenko, but especially "Green for Life" and "12 Steps to Raw Foods."

More Fruit than Cereal in my Breakfast Bowl

As you can see, there is more fruit than oatmeal in my cereal bowl. What a healthy way to start my day!!