Busy Lives

Update Time....

Michael ~ We don't hear from Michael every week and this is one of those weeks where we didn't.  If you had asked me if 5 or 10 years ago if this could ever happen (the not talking to him part), I would have never been able to imagine it. I might have even burst into tears at the sheer THOUGHT of not speaking to him daily. I only say this because I still run into people who feel this way about their children. And somehow, Life just takes care of it. They grow and go off on adventures, and luckily, it doesn't usually happen all at once. And you just kind of ease into it. I feel a little sad, writing that now, but he's happily cavorting around on adventures, and that IS what he wants. So that's what i want for him. I'm still planning to spend a couple of weeks in Nicaragua in November/December, when he has a work break. And he'll be back here for Alyssa's wedding in April. There are moments when I miss him terribly - but it's not constant, like I always thought it would be. I guess this is just what having adult children is like. :::wistful sigh::::

Katie ~ Katie is firming up her apartment options for Los Angeles. She and two of her friends are doing the paperwork to get a really nice 3 bedroom gated community apartment. Plenty of room for Mom to come visit!! She's working a lot, trying to save as much as she can for the California Life!  She and I will probably drive out there around the 15th of September.  It will be here before I know it!
Tomorrow, our friend Ari is coming over to do new Head Shots for auditions out there. Ari does great work, so I'm sure her photos will look wonderful. Katie's also making it to lots of free Midnight Movies because of her job at Cinemark. Fun!!

Alyssa ~ Alyssa is in Wedding Mode - big time. This week, she tried on dresses, signed with a caterer, made all the food selections, did a second meeting with the florist for minor changes - and I'm sure there was something else, but it tires me just to write all that!  Wedding planning with the internet at your fingertips is an entire different ballgame than when I got married in 1987!  Pinterest pictures, blog suggestions, online registries - wow! It's pretty cool, really.  Alyssa's other big news is that Milk n' Honey offered her a position in their new Apprentice Program. She started this week. Lots of studying and hands on work. It's going to be hard, but it will be so great to learn even more.

Ron ~ Ron has had some motorcycle problems this week. He broke down on the side of the road. Bummer - especially when it's 100 degrees by 11 am! But all that is forgotten because he's heading up to Lake Texoma in the morning for 3 days! This is an exciting trip because Katie, Alyssa, Josh, and I are all going to go up there on Sunday. The kids are so excited to go fishing there. We're all going to sleep on the boat!! I'll let you know how that goes. :)

Tonight's dinner:
Lemon Pepper Tilapia
with a hearty veggie soup/stew
Delish!

Sue ~ I'm not really sure where my week went. I spent a lot of time taking my mom to dental appointments. She had a crown fall off, so she has quite an extensive "treatment plan" for it. She'd love to be driving herself to these appointments, but there's just no way she can manage it. She doesn't agree. It's a hard spot to be in - for both of us. I'm still working out and trying to figure out what to eat. It's hard to know what to do - high protein, low carb? plant-based, non-dairy? high veggie, nothing processed? What does "balanced diet" mean anyway? It certainly changes depending on who you're talking to! But the exercise seems to actually be changing the shape of my body, and I'm down a couple of sizes. That' a good thing! Ron got the ladder attached on the boat, so I'm looking forward to lots of swimming at the lake this weekend.
Oh! And I have been busy this week blogging daily for the NaBloPoMo challenge. Some of the days, I even wrote more than one blogpost! I'm sure my friends are getting tired of seeing my Facebook Updates! haha!


Forgot to mention, Grandma is going to stay at our house this weekend with all the dogs! I think it will be okay. I guess we'll see!

Related Blogposts:
Videos, Boxes, and Even a Wedding
Ron's "New" Boat
July Update: What? July is OVER?

Food Guides and Pyramids

I wish we could get our facts straight. Facts that aren't influenced by people selling books, marketing machines, or even entire industries based on selling something to us.  I've been reading so many conflicting articles and books designed to help me. But they cannot all be right. What's a mere mortal to do?

So after years of the referring to the "regular" Food Pyramid - I am sure that's not right. Heck, even while my kids were competing on a Nutrition Quiz Bowl team, the pieces of that pyramid were shifting.

We're all familiar with what we started with...

It's interesting that even back with this pyramid as The Rule, we were to eat more fruits and vegetables than meat. Yet, we always referred to the Main Course as the Meat dish. And, we'd have bread as a side item - not as the main piece of the meal, as this pyramid would imply. Still, one has to wonder why we were being encouraged to eat so much bread and grains. 

Then in 2005, MyPyramid was adopted. I think the little stickman was supposed to encourage us to get exercising. In this shift, the dairy component seemed to grow a lot. Breads and grains stayed strong though.

A lot of people began to wonder how much the agricultural industry's lobbyists were influencing these pyramids. And frankly, at this point, I stopped being interested in it. They (the FDA, the Powers That Be) simply lost their hold. The unfortunate part for me is that it was kind of nice to be able TRUST someone out there. But, just like most things, you have to explore it for yourself.

The latest quasi-pyramid that I've seen lately is this:

If you can't read this, you can download it for free as a pdf at http://honestfoodguide.org/downloads/21407.2_HonestFoodGuide.pdf

It gives quite a bit of (albeit simplified) information. Still, I much prefer to see diet being talked about on a continuum of health, instead of servings and portions. Maybe if we understand the why a little better, we'll be able to make more healthy choices!

And... lest you think that only serious official people use the concept of pyramids to show how people should or are eating, check out these two:

Denny's suggestions

Zombies-Go-Rawr were taking a stab at Deviant Art

Chakras, Energy, and Emails

I've learning about the Seven Chakras, and this month, I've been learning about the Heart Chakra. Perhaps you've heard the phrase, "Sometimes the Mind knows, and sometimes the Heart knows." I think this is true. But the Heart isn't pushy like the mind. You have to really work to quiet the Mind's chatter and the criticism that is always trying to be heard.  For me, it seems that the Heart won't fight all that. There has to be a conscious choice to listen to what the Heart has to say.

This week, I had a great meeting with a few friends. It's our monthly "Pod" meeting in North Austin. It was great to share how we feel about working with the Heart Chakra, what we've had to work on and where we're seeing shifts.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on
Super Soul Sunday

This week on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, Oprah talked with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. I had seen her TED talk years ago about having a stroke and being conscious for much of the experience. She spoke about how she felt when the left hemisphere of the brain basically went offline for her. She did a great job explaining the functions of both sides of the human brain. It's a VERY interesting TED Talk.  But what brought her to Super Soul Sunday was even better!  She  talked about being aware of the energy you bring into the world how people need to be accountable for the energy they're giving others. She talked about how the world is full of only 2 kinds of people - those who bring energy and those who take it. Most importantly, she talked about how having the stroke gave her a clearer perspective about the chatter of the mind. She spoke of how it is a simple choice to not listen to it, and go in another direction. For instance, if you're angry, stop reminding yourself of the story of how angry you are. She actually said that if you feel angry, wait 90 seconds. If you don't keep reigniting the circuitry for the anger, it will pass.  I think I'm going to watch that all again. It was fascinating!




I receive regular Emails that are inspiring and uplifting.

•  Notes from the Universe come from Totally Unique Thoughts - Tut.com   They describe it as "a free daily reminder of Life's magic and Your Power." It's the first thing I open every morning!
• Heart Advice - weekly quotes from Pema Chodron also come to my inbox each week. Great insight!

Snapshots and Memories - 1920's

My dad, his sister, and my grandpa

Going through all of my mom's old pictures, the girls and I are struck by how faded they are becoming. My mom mainly just kept them in boxes, rubbing against each other. Sometimes they were Scotch-taped or even glued to construction paper. I think she had dismantled a scrapbook at some point. We've decided that while we are going to put them in a scrapbook - or two or three - we're also going to scan them so they'll keep longer.  So, I'll try to share them here, every now and then.




The oldest we've found so far is one that I think is of my mom's mom with her brothers and nephew. On the back are the words Mission Beach 1915.  This is the only one like this I have, but I might look through my Aunt Marilyn's things in Dallas. She might have more pictures of my grandma.

Mary Ogan - my mom's mom - she's 15

The next in line are from the 1920's. These are pictures of my dad as a baby and then as a toddler. He was born in 1920 to Cecil and Jessie Howe Wolfe. He had one sister, Barbara Jean - Aunt Bobbie to me. They lived in Pittsburg and Fort Scott, Kansas.

Looking at these pictures, I just try to think about what was going on at the time, what life was like. I know my grandma, Nonnie, used to like to move a lot.
When we visited Fort Scott, we were always driving down some street and my dad would say,
"We lived in that house."
We'd ask, "How many houses did you live in? One on every street?"
"Nearly. Nonnie wanted adventure but didn't want to go far from everyone. So we just house-hopped a lot!"

These 3 are my dad as an infant. 

He was born September 22, 1920, Billy Howe Wolfe. The "Howe" part is from his mother's maiden name. I didn't pursue it, but she had all kinds of paperwork from the Daughters of the American Revolution.  I should trace that - after I get all these photos scanned!!! 

Haircut styles of the past always intrigue me!
And they always come back -
bowl haircuts, Bettie Page bangs, finger waves

The kids think my dad looks like a girl in this photo to the right. They didn't realize how everyone put all babies in dresses and poofy outfits - boy or girl!

Billy probably isn't 2 yet - ~1921

Jessie with Billy 1921

Billy and Little Sister Barbara Jean

Billy ~1921-1924?

This picture makes me laugh! The 2 of them on the running board of that old car.
My dad shouting at whoever is holding the camera. And Aunt Bobbie, just smiling and being good.

Only know that's Grandpa Cecil holding
my dad, who was probably 3

Back on the porch with my Grandpa Cecil

London 2012: The Summer Olympics

Like most American households, we watched a lot of Olympics for the past couple of weeks. Sure we wished we had better control of what sports we were able to watch. Unfortunately, NBC got to make that decision for us. I would have liked to watch a little Hammer Throwing or maybe some Wushu! Steeplechase was recorded on my DVR, simply because I was fascinated with the name and had no idea what it was! I  linked it to Wikipedia here for you, because it's kind of interesting how the name came about, and what the runners were originally expected to do.


If you have an interest in history, I found a webpage with a slideshow that gives 10 Weird and Wonderful Former Olympic Sports.

The modern Olympic Games began in 1896. Since then, a lot more than the sporting attire and facial hairstyles have changed. From live bird shooting to solo synchronised swimming, we take a look at some of the most interesting and bizarre of discontinued Olympic sports...

We didn't watch the Olympics every night. We all gathered around the TV for the Opening Ceremony and watched the actors transform the set to show time passing for the British Isles. And I have to admit I got a little bored at the Closing Ceremony when Russell Brand came riding in.  But all in all, I love the excitement. I love to see how driven these people are to be the best in their sport. And I really love watching the flags drop and seeing their eyes well up with tears as the National Anthem plays... that moment when the gravity of the moment sinks in on them.

A few not-so-great moments, for us (and maybe you too) from this year's Olympics:

• When News stations would try to give Spoiler Alerts telling us to look away as they said who won the gold medal - and it was to be the big event to be telecast that evening. The whole concept seemed odd.
• When NBC cut the part of the Opening Ceremony that was dedicated to those Londoners who lost there lives due to the suicide bombing that occurred in London just after it was announced that they would host the Summer Games.  Then I read that there was controversy because no one has EVER done a tribute to the Israeli athletes that were killed in the Munich Olympics of 1972
• The Chinese and South Korean Badminton teams throwing their matches so they could position themselves against weaker opponents. Wow! Bad sportsmanship in the Olympics?? I guess I'm naive. 
• The unfortunate rule in gymnastics that only 2 can represent the country. On the surface, this sounds okay. But if you are really trying to get the TOP 24 in the sport to compete against each other, some countries are just not going to get to send someone. Let alone, 2! And thus became the saddest moment - watching World Champion Jordan Wieber realize she was not going to compete in the Individual All Around for Gymnastics. She was behind Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman in points - so even though she was head and shoulders ahead of MANY of the others who competed, she would not get to go. If this is confusing, here's an article about it.

London Olympics

So, because I'm a visual person, here were our personal favorites from the London Summer Olympics:

Ahhh...The USA Women's Gymnastics. We look forward to these events every Olympics!
Incredible talent, focus (and muscles!) on these girls!

Our favorite TEAM: Misty May-Treaner and Kerri Walsh-Jennings. These two knew what the other was doing even when they had their backs to each other. It was a TREMENDOUS display of knowing your partner - no wonder that were undefeated! So much fun to watch!

 And Missy Franklin, the 17 year old swimmer. We loved her story and we loved to watch her pull ahead of everyone when she swims!

The Rhythmic Gymnastics exhibition was impressive too! Those girls redefine the word FLEXIBLE!

 Michael Phelps was a incredible to watch! 

It was exciting to watch him win the most medals of anyone EVER! 22 total and 18 of them are Gold!!

And the Men's Swimming Team was fun to watch. I always like hearing their bios about what their lives are really like. And those Olympic bodies! Wow! After watching them a few nights, Katie said very matter-of-factly, "I'm just going to have to get back into swimming, I think."

Rio de Janeiro,
for the next Summer Olympics!

Just a cool photo of the Hurdles from SportsIllustrated Instagram

Garden Success!

Here's my first crop of figs! I'm so excited because I just planted this little stick of a plant last year, and now - FRUIT! Now my only task is to get over to the side yard before the birds peck a hole in these!

 My blackberry crop was good this year. Last year the drought wiped them out. I just couldn't water often enough.  This year, much better.

 I kept my bell pepper plant in the greenhouse throughout the winter last year, and had an early crop this year. Now, I'm already on my second wave of peppers - they're smaller though.

The only other plant worth mentioning (my flowers are all pretty dried up) is our lemon tree. At least, Ron keeps telling me that it's a lemon and not a lime tree. He says that they will yellow up in the fall. Ok. This little "tree" has been with us for a long time. We bought it in Wichita Falls in probably 2003. We were forever trying to protect it from the cold up there. One year, all the leaves fell off. And still it came back. This year, it had some sticky black stuff on it from in the greenhouse. I cleaned off each leaf and stem with alcohol. Then suddenly, it had all these tiny little limes growing. Most fell off. But a few stayed. It had a couple of flowering periods, and now, this is what we have! Our biggest success with this little tree - ever!

They grew!

I didn't plant tomatoes this year, for the first time in I don't even know how long! But it's August, and it might be okay to plant some now. For one, temps will start to change a little around here. And there's still a long enough growing season before we have anything close to a freeze around here. And secondly, Gracie isn't here as much. She was quite the digger, so the plants are pretty safe.

I'll keep you posted!