Friends Don't Let Friends Fat Talk

Check this out - "REFLECTIONS: Body Image Program

https://secure.pursuantgroup.net/pursuant4/deltadeltadelta/fall08/dddselect/flashstory.asp

Perfect Happiness

Saturday Nights & Mary Tyler Moore

Growing up, I wanted to be Mary Richards. She was pretty, wore groovy clothes, lived in a great apartment, had a nice job & drove a Mustang! Yes many a dreams were dreamt every Saturday night in my room when she was on - yes I was going to be just like Mary Richards.

Dean Martin - Totally Cool....

Velvet voice, soothing to the eyes & Italian too! Yes - I have a crush on him!

Information Please - a touching story

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was ‘Information Please’ and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear.‘Information, please’ I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.‘Information.’‘I hurt my finger...’ I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.‘Isn’t your mother home?’ came the question.‘Nobody’s home but me,’ I blubbered.‘Are you bleeding?’ the voice asked.‘No,’ I replied. ‘I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.’Can you open the icebox?’ she asked. I said I could.Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger, said the voice.After that, I called ‘Information Please’ for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, Information Please,’ and told her the sad story She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, ‘Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?’She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, ‘Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.’ Somehow I felt better.Another day I was on the telephone, ‘Information Please.'‘Information,’ said in the now familiar voice.‘How do I spell fix?’ I asked.All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. ‘Information Please’ belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown Operator and said, ‘Information Please.’Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. ‘Information.’I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying, ‘Could you please tell me how to spell fix?’There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, ‘I guess your finger must have healed by now.’I laughed, ‘So it’s really you,’ I said. ‘I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?’I wonder,’ she said, ‘if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.’I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.‘Please do’, she said. ‘Just ask for Sally.’Three months later I was back in Seattle, a different voice answered,‘Information.’ I asked for Sally. ‘Are you a friend?’ she said.‘Yes, a very old friend,’ I answered.‘I’m sorry to have to tell you this,’ she said. ‘Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.’Before I could hang up she said, ‘Wait a minute, is your name Wayne?’‘Yes.’ I answered.‘Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called.Let me read it to you.’The note said, ‘Tell him there are other worlds tosing in. He’ll know what I mean.’I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Going Green With Reuseables....

Ok - two posts in one day - hey I'll take advantage of any inspirational surge.

I am trying to go green little by little - it started with doing away with paper towels & paper napkins - WOW! Who knew how many of these things we used around here! Now we use a simple cloth napkin purchased on Etsy, along with some thick & strong cloth wipes - WONDERFUL! I still have a roll of paper towels stashed under the sink for when I bleach sanitize the counter (so I don't wreck the cloth towels) - but that's it! I have a small, separate basket only for these wipes & I wash them on hot, no softener - they dry in no time - saving money & the landfill. I also found reusable "Swiffer" products - dusters & mops. Use & toss in the wash. Another secret - I started on reusable mama pads - I only wish I found these gems twenty years ago! I have to "re-think" those days - take a little extra care & time - change a bit more frequently - but boy is it worth it! Comfortable, non-bulky & non-chemical - not for everyone - but ok by me!

Today It's Kefir

Yes - I found this gem too! Only I don't think I will be able to get ANYONE to try this one! That's OK - I LOVE it! Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated in Turkey, Russia & surrounding areas. It is prepared by inoculating milk with kefir grains. Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria & yeast resembling cauliflower. I simply take one cup of milk & add the kefir, let it sit for a while (usually two days) & soon a yogurt like liquid is formed - I strain out the precious granules for a new batch & keep the thick liquid in the fridge. The kefir liquid then goes into the blender, along with some ice, a banana (or berries), flax seed, oats & sweetener (honey or vanilla). This "smoothie" is delicious, filling & healthy!

Kombucha Tea Anyone?

I stumbled on this phenomenon quite accidentally over on Etsy one day (a very wonderful seller - Wells of Health -http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5763037). I ordered it, "grew" it & haven't stopped since! What is you ask? Kombucha is the Western name for sweetened tea that has been fermented using a macroscopic solid mass of microorganisms called a "kombucha colony". The culture contains a symbiosis of Aceetobacter (acetic acid bacteria) and yeast, . The culture itself looks somewhat like a large pancake, and though often called a mushroom, or by the acronym SCOBY (for "Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast"), it is clinically known as a zoogleal mat. (Thanks Wikipedia). It dates back to 250BC China. It is quite common in China & many other parts of the world & it is now gaining popularity in the US. You need the SCOBY first, you then brew your favorite tea, add about 1/2 cup sugar, add the SCOBY & let it "ferment". Then add ice & drink away - it is a tangy tea which is a great change of pace from anything I normally drink & while I can't claim I am "cured" of anything - it makes me feel better going a little natural. DH & DS tasted some of this today & loved it - I told them it was home brewed ice-tea -but left out the "mushroom part"