Where I Am Now

How Celebrating Valentine's Day Can Lead to a Shingles Outbreak

2012-02-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

What's love got to do with it? Weird as it may sound, the connection between Valentine's Day and shingles is -- chocolate! Chocolate is one of those foods that can trigger a shingles outbreak if you eat too much of it at one time.

I learned this the hard way a few years ago. At the time, I was newly single and, free of the responsibility for making dinner for anyone else, I often just snacked on apples, almonds and chocolate and called it good. Around that time, I started having more frequent, and severe, outbreaks of shingles, so I asked my naturopath what could be causing them.

She explained that there is often a connection between diet and shingles outbreaks. The breakouts are the result of an imbalance in the relationship between two essential amino acids, lysine and arginine, in our diets.

If you have ever had shingles, you know that the illness only affects those of us who have had chicken pox, which is caused by the herpes zoster virus. Even though we recover from the chicken pox, we never completely clear the virus from our systems. It remains dormant in nerve cells for the rest of our lives. If something happens that "wakes up" the virus, we get the painful rash, blisters, fatigue, muscle and nerve pain that we call "shingles."

So what wakes up the virus? The amino acid, arginine. What puts the virus back to sleep? The amino acid, lysine. When our diet supplies a higher ratio of lysine to arginine, all is well. When there's more arginine than lysine, trouble breaks out. And that's how the chocolate, apples and almonds dinners were contributing to my frequent shingles outbreaks.

According to the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, 1991 edition, (A newer edition is available at Amazon) the amino acid ratio for chocolate is 4,500/arginine and 2,000/lysine. For almonds, 2,730/arginine and 580/lysine. It is easy to see that I needed to change my ways if I wanted to feel better. Which I did. I still eat chocolate, but not as an entree. I eat small amounts, usually after a meal that is lysine rich. I rarely get shingles anymore.

For your quick reference, here are foods high in arginine and low in lysine: chocolate, all kinds of tree nuts and peanuts, sesame and flaxseed. Foods high in lysine and low in arginine include: dairy products, beef, poultry, pork, fish and shrimp.

This is important information for those of us over 60. No one seems to know why, but as we age, shingles outbreaks seem to be more frequent. If we let our food be our medicine, we can avoid discomfort and drugs.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Enjoy those chocolates - but you might want to have a nice salmon dinner first.

Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars REALLY Go?

2012-01-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wish there was some place where you could get clear, easy to understand information about how our federal tax dollars are spent? Wouldn't you like to get past the opinions of politicians, pundits and partisans, so you can look at the facts and draw your own conclusions?

Well, now you can. Get a copy of Jess Bachman's 24"x36" poster, "Death & Taxes," and get the straight story about where all that money is going to go in 2012.

Just as a good picture is worth a thousand words, this visual representation saves you the trouble of reviewing thousands of pages of information. Bachman spends two months each year doing the research necessary to produce each year's budget poster. There's a heck of a lot of data here, so get your reading glasses ready!

Here's how the information is organized: Each program is denoted with a circle. The size of the circle is proportionate to the program's funding level. Next to each circle, there are figures for: spending budgeted for 2012; the percent increase/decrease in spending from 2011 to 2012; and the percent change from 2002 to 2012 to show the decade-long trend.

2012 is an election year, so we will be subjected to more than the usual amount of misleading rhetoric regarding taxes and government spending. We owe it to ourselves to separate fact from fiction. Get one of these posters. Tack it up on a wall where your family, friends, coworkers or students can see it. And get the conversation started.

Free Speech on Vacation

2012-01-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

We Americans pride ourselves on freedom of speech - except for when we don't.

I was back east over the holidays visiting my son and his wife. The weather was pleasant - sunny and warm for late December. So we went sight-seeing. As we were strolling the streets of a lovely, scenic seaside town (whose name will be revealed at the end of this post), my son pointed to this sign.

"What do you think that sign says, Mom?" he asked. Thinking it was a joke, I said, "I don't know - no swearing?" "Yup," he answered. Still thinking it might be a joke, I started to look more closely at signs posted along the street. I saw that these "no cursing" signs appear all along the main street. Apparently, folks around here are not kidding. (Which naturally made me WANT to cuss up a blue streak. There's nothing like being told "no" to make an activity irresistible.)

In case visitors don't get the message, posted in between the "no swearing" signs are more signs, each with a reminder about "language:"

Reading this, I had to laugh. I live in a beach community, too. I know what it is like to have your neighborhood taken over by thousands of strangers the moment the sun comes out. Most of the people who show up are respectful of others and don't have to be told what the "rules" are. And the people who disturb the peace - don't read signs.

Surely the good people of Virginia Beach, Virginia, can find better uses for their tax dollars.

Zumba!

2012-01-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've been on a quest to find the ideal exercise program for some time now. It has been a while, but I do remember what it feels like to be in shape and enjoy a good workout. I want that feeling back in my life. Since my hip surgery 3 years ago, I've tried tai chi, pilates, and yoga, but none of them really satisfied me.

And then I tried Zumba! Zumba is a Latin-inspired, dance fitness program that combines upbeat music with moves from salsa, merengue, samba, cha cha, hip hop and even belly dancing. No matter how old you are or what shape you are in, you can do this. Honestly, if I can do it, you can, too. There are three of us in my class who are over the age of 60 and we have so much FUN!

Zumba fits my definition of the ideal workout. It challenges me, but isn't so demanding that I get discouraged or hurt myself. It builds core strength and helps improve my balance. It is aerobic exercise so I get a pleasant endorphin glow that lasts for hours afterward. It opens up my aging joints and gives me more flexibility. I am famously uncoordinated and Zumba helps me connect my body to my brain. It is a mental exercise, as well, because it involves learning a new skill and remembering dance steps.

Zumba is affordable, too. In Seattle, classes are offered at most community centers and YMCA facilities and fees range from around $7 - $12 per class. If you live in an area where classes are not available, you can get Zumba dvds from Amazon (see link above). Zumba is also available for Wii and XBox systems.

Here's a sample video to give you an idea of a few dance steps. There are dozens more to watch on YouTube. Enjoy!

Gift Ideas For Seniors

2011-10-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Today I added a new page to the blog titled, Gift Ideas for Seniors, which I hope will be helpful to both gift givers and gift receivers. I've been on both sides of the age divide and know that it can be a challenge to come up with good ideas. When I was young, I wondered what to get mom and dad, in-laws, and aging aunties. When I asked for ideas, it wasn't helpful to be told, "Oh, I have everything I need. Don't worry about me."

Now that I am at the older end of things, it isn't any easier. When I am asked what I want, I don't want to sound mercenary, so at times I have defaulted to the same "don't worry about me" statement. Or I've asked for gift cards, which I truly appreciate, but asking for them makes me feel a bit crass.

So I'm hoping that my list of gift ideas will help people of all generations avoid those awkward conversations. I also hope it inspires people to be creative and find ways of giving that have meaning for both parties. I'm sure there are plenty of ideas out there that I haven't thought of. What can you add? Have you given or received something particularly special? Please share your ideas and stories.

It's Time To Pull Up Your Socks!

2011-10-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

Do you have trouble putting on socks because of pain in your hips or knees? Are you afraid of hurting your back? Do you skip wearing socks because it's just too difficult to reach your feet? Are you tired of asking for help to do something as simple as putting on a pair of socks?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, I have good news for you. There is a simple, safe, inexpensive tool called a SOCK AID that you can use to put your socks on comfortably. You don't have to spend another winter with cold feet!

Here's a video that shows how to use it:

And here's how to get one:

4 Reasons Why a Kindle Is Good for People Over 60

2011-10-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Kindle offers advantages for people of all ages. But for us older readers, there are features that are especially valuable. Here are 4 that I've noticed in the short time I've owned a Kindle.

1. It is lightweight. I just took a weekend trip by train to visit some friends. Even on a short trip, I usually take 2-3 books with me and maybe a magazine or two. It was so nice this time to replace a few pounds of reading material with a 6 oz. Kindle! Plus, I didn't have to wrestle with getting a book into or out of one of my bags. The Kindle fits easily into my purse.

The text on a Kindle can be rotated, so the device
can be held more comfortably in arthritic hands.

Lighter weight means greater reading comfort, too. Some people talk about loving the "heft of a book" in their hands. But I have more stiffness in my joints these days and I notice that holding a book to read, for even short periods of time, bothers my neck and thumb joints. Having a lightweight reader makes it easier for me to lift the "book" to a level that is comfortable for my neck. Plus, holding a Kindle is a lot easier on my thumbs than holding onto a 350-page, printed-on-paper-novel. As an added bonus, I can rotate the text, which means that I can hold the device even more comfortably.

2. The font size is adjustable. I don't love wearing reading glasses. And with 8 different font sizes to choose from on my Kindle, I don't have to. I also have the choice of whether the type is condensed and/or sans serif; and I can adjust the spacing between lines of type. Fiddling with these options allows me to "set" the type to suit my aging eyes.

3. It soon pays for itself. Kindle books are cheaper than their hardback versions. There are no shipping costs for ebooks. You don't have to drive anywhere to buy one, so you save on gas. There are plenty of books that are free (many of the classics) or are very low cost, like these 100 Kindle Books Under $3.99. Soon we will be able to read library books on our Kindles, which will add even more savings.

4. It is a good solution for the book storage problem. I used to think of my book collection as a sign of a "rich" life, with so much information and entertainment lined up on the shelves. Now I wonder why I've held onto so many books, decades after I last read them. I've been in the process of clearing out my collection and being more deliberate in my choice of what to keep. I will always have a certain number of physical books, but there will be many fewer from now on.

For those of us who are 60 and beyond, the Kindle is a brilliant answer to the question, "If we buy more books, where are we going to put them?" Some of us are down-sizing or thinking about it. Some of us have been in the same houses for a long time and have accumulated one heck of a lot of stuff, books included. We dread the idea of moving all those heavy boxes of books. But we don't want to give up new books or reading. In fact, later life often affords more opportunities for reading than we had when we were younger and busy with careers and children. So an e-reader is a perfect solution. One book or 100 books on a Kindle still weigh only 6 oz. and take up no more space than the average paperback. How cool is that?

Mobile Chowdown in The Junction

2011-10-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Mobile Chowdown came to West Seattle last Sunday. Two blocks of California Avenue were closed to accommodate 23 food trucks that served everything from ethnic foods and donuts to burgers and ice cream. Take a look:

Trucks were parked down the middle of the street, giving people plenty of room to mill about. It's a good thing, because there was a huge turnout for this event.

The street food phenomenon is not just about food, it is also about the truck. The popular Maximus-Minimus truck is a rolling advertisement for its pulled pork sandwiches.

And who could miss the colorful "big food" truck?

The Skillet airstream trailer is a classic in these parts. One of the first food trucks in Seattle, it has been serving up grass-fed burgers with bacon jam since 2007.

There were long lines everywhere.

Pacific Rim cuisines were well represented, including Marination Mobile's Korean and Hawaiian food; Curry Now's Indian Food; and Kaosami's Thai Retaurant.

There were buns on wheels...

... soul food from Where Ya At Matt's truck...

and Molly Moon's Ice Cream. Who could ask for anything more?

For more about Mobile Chowdown events visit their website.

Rating Brands of Eggless Mayonnaise

2011-10-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am allergic to eggs. This has meant giving up certain foods I have always enjoyed, including mayonnaise. What I miss isn't necessarily the sandwich spread aspect of it, but all the things that are made with mayonnaise. No mayo means no potato salad, no tartar sauce, no tuna salad, and no crab cakes - right?

Well as it turns out, not necessarily. There are 3 eggless mayonnaises on the market that I know of: Light Canola Mayo, made by Spectrum; Vegenaise, made by Earth Island; and Nayonnaise, made by Nasoya. I've tried them all and here are my observations.

Spectrum's Light Canola Mayo - this is a fairly recent discovery for me. I'm not always able to find it at the store, but it is worth the search because it is my favorite of the three.
Pros:
- Has the best flavor, as far as I am concerned, of the three.
- Has a smooth consistency that is closest to real mayo of the three.
- Does not separate when added to salads, as Nayonaise does.
Cons:
- It contains some soy protein, but probably too little to be an issue unless you have a soy allergy.

Vegenaise - I typically use the Grapeseed version of this product. I've been using it for three or four years.

Pros:

- Has a pleasant taste.

- Has a smooth consistency, very similar to real mayonnaise.

- Does not separate when combined in something like a potato salad or slaw.

Cons:

- Does contain some amount of soy protein, although probably not enough to be a problem unless you eat spoonfuls right out of the jar.

- Cannot be stored outside the refrigerator, even before opening.

Nayonnaise - For years, this was the only eggless mayo I could find. I rarely use it anymore, because I much prefer the other two.

Pros:

- Available in many grocery stores.

Cons:

- The main ingredient is soy oil. Soy is a problem, especially as we get older, because it suppresses thyroid function and blocks absorption of essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and zinc.

- It is rather tasteless.

- The consistency of this product is thin. It doesn't have a smooth, silky mayo-like texture. It easily separates and becomes watery, which doesn't make a potato salad or tuna salad very appetizing.

All three of these products are available in Seattle at PCC grocery stores. Look for Vegenaise in the refrigerated section.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think? Do you know of others that are worth a try? Please leave a comment.

The Amazing 5 Foot Tall Stack of Books!

2011-09-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I just bought a Kindle, but I still have a lot of physical books and expect that I always will.

Like most people who enjoy reading, I always have a stack of books around me - including this one. It's about 5 feet tall and it stands along the wall in my living room. When people come to visit, they sit on my couch and stare at it.

Sooner or later, someone will ask how often the stack falls over (it never has). Or people say that they wouldn't want to be standing next to it in an earthquake. Once in a while, someone asks what I do when I want to read one of the books at the bottom of the pile. And that's when I reveal the secret.

These books aren't just piled one on top of another. They are sitting on a clever, vertical book "tower." If you click on the photo at left, you can see what it looks like when it's empty. The shelves are metal and the structure is surprisingly stable. It makes use of what would be wasted space. Books are easily accessible. And it's a great conversation piece.

Why I Finally Bought a Kindle

2011-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I did something I have been talking about doing for a year. I ordered a Kindle from Amazon. What got me off the fence? In a word, price.

This week, Amazon introduced its Kindle Fire, a full-color tablet. At the same time, the company unveiled a reconfigured Kindle line up, including one with the low price of $79 US.

For me, and I am sure millions of others, seeing the price drop below $100 made all the difference. As with all new tech gadgets, I have no doubt that cheaper Kindles are on the horizon, but at $79, I am not going to feel like I over-spent when that day comes.
Once you buy a Kindle, check out these great buys: 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or less

What Lies Beneath at Alki Beach

2011-09-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

I love living near the water, walking along the edge of the water, looking out across the water, but I do not love being in the water. My Alki Beach neighborhood is popular for scuba diving - an activity that doesn't appeal to me. However, I am very curious about what divers see when they are down there.

Now thanks to the skills of diver/videographer Laura James, landlubbers like me get to see what life is like underwater without having to get wet. Here are a few examples of her stunning work.

Want to see more? Laura has over 140 videos posted on YouTube. Go check them out!

The Cholesterol Quiz

2011-09-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

We hear a lot about cholesterol. We're told it is bad for us (unless it's the good kind). We're told to avoid foods that contain it. Pharmaceutical companies offer all kinds of drugs to lower our cholesterol.

But even though cholesterol is a household word, I'm curious as to how much people really know about it. So I'm asking this question: where do you think most of the cholesterol in your body comes from?

On the right side of the page, I've added a gadget for you to use to provide your answer. I'll run this poll for a week then publish the correct answer.

Q: When is drinking actually GOOD for your liver?

2011-09-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

A: When what you are drinking is - WATER.

The liver needs water, and plenty of it, to burn fat and eliminate toxins. If you are dehydrated, the body goes into water conservation mode by slowing your metabolism and using fat to insulate the cells to prevent further water loss. This makes it harder for the liver to do its job.

Without adequate water intake, you gain weight and toxins build up in your body, usually stored in that excess fat. This contributes to diseases that include: diabetes, allergies, cancer, high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease and more.

Most of us think we are hydrated enough if we don't feel thirsty. But our thirst mechanism fades as we age. By the time we feel thirsty, we are already in a state of mild to moderate dehydration. Remember that we lose about 2 liters of water a day (roughly equivalent to 2 quarts) via respiration, digestion, perspiration and elimination. That water needs to be replaced every day to prevent dehydration.

To learn more, take a look at this comprehensive article: Dehydration Slows the Liver's Fat Burning Ability. And drink up!

Remembering the Alki Beach 9/11 Memorial

2011-09-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that a decade has passed since the events of 9/11/2001. And yet, here we are. Today I went through photos that I took of the Alki memorial back then, and reflected on life since. Of the many things that have come out of that difficult time, perhaps the most positive has been a renewed sense that we are all in this together; that life is unpredictable; and that family, friends and neighbors are what matters. The phrase "building community" seems to echo across the country.

Here at Alki, that sense of community rose up spontaneously on 9/11. The news seemed, at first, bewildering. Did this really happen? For some of us, the Orson Welles/War of the Worlds story came to mind. But this wasn't fiction. And as the reality of it sank in, whatever else we were doing seemed unimportant. It was as if we were all wondering, "well, what do we do now?"
And so we came to the beach. As Isak Dinesen said, "The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears or the sea." Walking along the water's edge is soothing in a way that nothing else is. As we walked, our little Statue of Liberty seemed the natural destination.

As people came, they brought candles, flowers, hand-written notes, teddy bears, and personal mementos that related somehow to the events or people they knew. For days, candles remained lit - when they burned down, people brought new ones. Wilted flowers were replaced with fresh ones.
Someone brought a supply of brown paper lunch sacks and sharpie pens, and encouraged people to take a bag and write a message on the side. Volunteers then took the bags, put a bit of sand in the bottom of each one to weigh it down, and placed votive candles inside. At night the candles were lit. In the photo above, you can see the row of bags in along the seawall.
As the days went by, the flags, hats, notes and other memorabilia just kept coming. When the memorial wound down days later, the nearby Log House Museum collected something like 18 boxes of these treasures which they are preserving as part of local history.

Here are a few of the messages on the bags.

"MAKE LOVE NOT WAR (after we get those bastards)"

From left: "THE LORD'S PRAYER ...'but deliver us from evil'" "AN EYE FOR AN EYE MAKES US ALL BLIND!" "STOP THE VIOLENCE! GOD BLESS AMERICA"

There was, of course, no formal program or agenda. During the day, people were quiet, either reading what others had written or lost in their own thoughts. At night, I remember that we held lit candles and sang a few songs. Some people read poems. What I remember most, though, was feeling grateful for my life and for the connection I felt with the people around me.

There were many touching notes in the collection at the base of the statue. But this one stood out for me. In fact, I made copies of this photo and used them to make my holiday cards that year. Here's what it says:

"As long as you hate,

Hate is in the world.

As long as you love,

Love is in the world.

As long as you have hope,

Hope is in the world.

Choose to face the light,

And let the shadows fall behind you.

Change yourself,

And you change the world."

A special exhibit will be held at the Log House Museum on Sunday, September 11. For more information about observances planned in the neighborhood, visit the West Seattle Blog.

Fiona, The Spy Cat

2011-09-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

This is my neighbor, Fiona. She isn't allowed out of the house because her owners have had too many sad experiences with kitties being hurt while outside. So since she can't get out and hunt for birds and chase mice, she has to be content with - spying.

She sits in this upstairs window and keeps an eye on the neighborhood. She tracks the movements of the raccoon family that makes its way through the yard every afternoon on its way to dinner at a neighbor's house. (I know, we wish the neighbor wouldn't feed them, but she does.)

Fiona is startled when Harold the blue heron flies overhead, squawking on his way to the Douglas Fir he likes to hang out in. She is bewildered by hummingbirds. She is interested in squirrels.

But mostly, Fiona likes to spy on me. From her perch on the windowsill, she looks into my kitchen window and down onto my deck. She watches intently as I rinse dishes or go outside to clip some herbs. Her eyes follow me as I walk back and forth in my kitchen. It makes me laugh to glance up and see the look on her face.

Soon the weather will turn cool and Fiona's family will close the window for the season. From then until the first warm days in spring when the window is open again, I will miss my nosy little neighbor.

A New Look!

2011-09-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Where I Am Now has a new look. I've spent a few days fiddling with colors, layouts and photos to use for the header, and I'm close to being satisfied with it.

For some time, it has seemed to me that the blog needed a better way to navigate through the content than just using labels. Adding pages (see the tabs above) that organize much of the content by specific category, such as "food & recipes," "the arts," etc. is, I think, a big improvement.

I hope you find the changes helpful. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Oh, and if you are wondering about the photo at the top of the page - it was taken at Solstice Park in West Seattle at sunset on the Summer Solstice, 2011.

A Pie for Mikey

2011-08-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have been crying off and on all week when I think of Jennifer Perillo - a woman I've never met - a woman who lives on the other side of the continent from me. Jennifer is food editor of "Working Woman Magazine." She's a blogger, a mom, and was, until a week ago, a wife. Her husband, Mike, died unexpectedly a week ago of a massive heart attack.

Word of Mike's death spread quickly via Twitter throughout the food blogger community and from there to the rest of the world. If you think that it's impossible to say anything meaningful in just the 140 characters allowed in a Twitter message, Jennifer's post right after her husband's death might change your mind. She wrote, "He's gone. And my heart is shattered in a million pieces." What more could there be to say?

Countless people across the country have offered her support. And in response to the typical question, "What can we do to help?" Jennifer replied with this in a blog post:
"As I spend Friday reflecting on the love and life that was gone in an instant, I'd like to invite all of you to celebrate his life too. Mikey loved peanut butter cream pie. I haven't made it in a while, and I've had it on my to-do list for a while now.
I kept telling myself I would make it for him tomorrow. Time has suddenly stood still, though, and I'm waiting to wake up and learn to live a new kind of normal. For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on."

She included in the post her recipe for peanut butter cream pie.

Yesterday, I noticed on Twitter that #apieformikey was trending in Seattle. Today it has been trending across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand. I saw countless tweets yesterday from people making pies and getting ready to deliver them. Some people posted their own favorite peanut butter pie recipes. It felt like a movement had begun. There's no way to know how many pies, and variations on that theme, have been made in Mikey's memory. And that's a beautiful thing.

For as many times as I have teared up this week thinking of Jennifer's loss, I have come to tears of joy just as many times reading about the outpouring of loving kindness this event has brought about. When I think not just of the kindnesses extended personally to Jennifer and her two girls, but all those pies made with love and passed along to thousands of others, I can't help but feel appreciation for my fellow human beings. My heart is full.

Of the various posts I've seen this week online, two stand out in my mind as being most eloquent. Shauna Ahern's post, "light in the darkness," captures not only her shock at the news of Mikey's death, but also the essence of the camaraderie found in the food blogger community. She describes a recent gathering of these food folks, who may have met initially in cyberspace, but in "real life" are connected by their love of food and the sharing of that love. (Find Shauna @glutenfreegirl on Twitter)

The second post is Todd Porter and Diane Cu's video: Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey. This combination of video, music and twitter messages expresses much more than a single one of those elements ever could. (Find them @whiteonrice on Twitter)

I believe it was Shakespeare who said, "'Tis an ill wind indeed that blows no good." It is my hope that Jennifer and her family will find some comfort in knowing that their loss has opened so many hearts and kitchens. For all its twists and turns and pains and mysteries, life is still good. And so are people.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

2011-08-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know how she does it. Ree Drummond writes more blog posts in a day than I do in a month. She home schools her 4 children. Helps her husband, Marlboro Man, on their ranch. She has a cooking show premiering on Food Network on August 27th. She is an avid photographer, sharing Photoshop tips and hosting photo contests. And, oh yes, she's written a cookbook.

Part memoir, part photo album, and all heart, The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, is entertaining from cover to cover. It is remarkable to see how this woman, once a strict vegetarian and city girl, has embraced meaty menus and country living. That's what falling in love will do to a person! (Yes, she does reveal her love story in the book and in serial form on her blog.)

If you are a beginner in the kitchen, no worries. Ree takes you through each recipe, step by step. She is a natural teacher and she uses her photography skills to show you the way. As an example, there are 10 photographs accompanying her recipe for meatloaf. Ten! That's like having her stand right next to you, coaching you through the process.

If you love comfort food, she's got you covered. There's the aforementioned meat loaf, plus buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, skillet cornbread, Edna Mae's sour cream pancakes, chicken fried steak, flat apple pie, mac 'n' cheese, chicken pot pie - are you hungry yet?

But even if you have little interest in cooking or baking, the book is worth reading for its depiction of life on a working cattle ranch. Ree married into a ranching family; their business was started by Marlboro Man's great-grandfather. Throughout her book, there are photo essays that include: shipping cattle in the mud, the difference between chaps and chinks, a "miss mustang" beauty pageant, real cowboys working calves, and photos of her family at work and at play. The Pioneer Woman Cooks is much more than a cookbook, it is a portrait of her family's life, a way of life few of us ever see.

Like I said, I have no idea where she finds the time to do all she does. But I sure am glad that Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, so generously shares her life with us.

An Effective Alternative to Anti-Depressant Drugs

2011-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

I struggled with depression from early childhood until my early 40s. Yet after years of believing that there was nothing I could do to escape that dark place, I turned the corner and left that neighborhood for good. What changed my life? Reading the first chapters of a little book called, "Feeling Good."

I'll never forget that day. I saw the book on a table at Elliott Bay Bookstore in Seattle, thought it sounded interesting and bought it. I started reading it as I rode the bus home. I skimmed through the parts that described studies done to determine which treatment methods worked best for depression.

I skipped ahead to find out which one was the winner. The choices were: talk therapy, drugs, a combination of drugs and talk, or a method that sounded crazy - just monitoring thoughts and when painful thoughts came up, changing the subject to something more pleasant.

I expected that the drug/talk combination would come out ahead. So I was astonished to find that the winner, by a substantial margin, was simply - changing the subject. When I read that, the proverbial light bulb went on for me. All my life, I assumed that I had no control over how I felt. I believed that my emotions were in control of me. I believed I couldn't help thinking the thoughts I thought because I felt so bad.

But this research showed that just the opposite was true. I might have control after all. Instead of repeating unhappy thoughts over and over in my head, I could deliberately choose to think about something else. As my thinking changed, my mood would change.

Just change the subject. What a concept! I had never considered that before.

And so I tried it. It wasn't easy to break thought patterns accumulated over a lifetime, but I began to catch myself when I got caught up in depressing thoughts. I began to think of cleaning up my thinking as good "mental hygiene."

Most importantly, it worked and continues to work. I am quick to notice now when I start to go down the path of negative thinking. I know where that path leads and I no longer choose to spend my time there.

I am grateful, too, that finding this book helped me avoid the path called "drugs." Every time I see one of those commercials for anti-depressants and hear the list of side effects, I'm glad I avoided that choice.

Note: The copy I read was the original, published in 1980. A new, updated edition was released in 1999.

Eat Right 4 Your Type

2011-08-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

What does blood type have to do with your digestion? Quite a bit, as it turns out, according to Dr. Peter D'Adamo, author of "Eat Right 4 Your Type."

I have been fascinated with food and physiology since nurse's training in the late 60s, and this book was a welcome eye-opener for me. It cleared up questions that had stymied me for a very long time.

For example, I had long been puzzled by my observation that some people are happy and healthy eating a certain way, but when other people follow the same diet, they gain weight and feel lousy. If there is such a thing as an ideal, balanced diet, along the lines of the "food pyramid," why don't we all respond in the same way to what we eat?

From my personal experience, I know that after 3 days of following a vegetarian diet, I have no energy. It doesn't matter what plant proteins I try or in what combinations, I barely have the strength to lift a piece of paper. But for some reason, as soon as I eat a hamburger, I feel great. I apparently have a politically incorrect metabolism.

However, according to Dr. D'Adamo, the key to healthy metabolism lies not in our ideology but in our blood type. From the research he and his father have done, there appears to be a direct correlation between blood type and digestion. Here's how it all breaks down (sorry, pun intended):

Type O Blood. The is the oldest blood type, the blood type of the earliest hunter-gatherer humans. Their diet was primarily animal protein and fat, with small amounts of carbohydrates. This diet provided the huge amounts of energy needed to survive harsh conditions. Type Os, like me, retain those ancient metabolic characteristics. (Which solves the hamburger mystery.) Grains and dairy, which were not part of the early human diet, are not well tolerated by our systems.

Type A Blood. Thousands of years later, humans began to settle down, create permanent communities and cultivate crops. This is when people began eating grains. With this addition to the diet, human metabolism began to adapt, and a new blood type, Type A, began to appear. People with Type A blood do very well on a diet of grains, vegetable proteins and carbohydrates. Meat and dairy products are not very well tolerated by Type As.

Type B Blood. Further along the evolutionary trail, humans began to domesticate animals and added dairy products to their diet. And again, blood type adapted. Type Bs have many more choices for dinner because they can enjoy a range of meats, dairy, vegetables and certain grains.

Type AB Blood. This is the newest, and rarest, blood type. It is also the most idiosyncratic, combining characteristics of A and B, plus a few of its own eccentricities.

Beyond these explanations, "Eat Right 4 Your Type" gives detailed lists of foods, seasonings and beverages for each blood type - according to which are most beneficial, which are neutral and which to avoid. There are also a few recipes in this book to get you started should you choose to try "eating right for your type."

It has been several years since I first read this book and tried eating this way. I always feel better when I follow his guidelines and avoid grains (especially any containing gluten) and dairy. I have lots of books on nutrition and cooking - this is one I come back to over and over again for good information.

Related post: Spaghetti Squash and the Blood Type Diet

Fat of the Land

2011-08-11T15:12:00.001-07:00

I am fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest, a place of extraordinary beauty and bounty. It is a forager's dream. However, I am not a particularly avid hunter and gatherer, unless we're talking about visiting the local PCC or Metropolitan Market.

But that doesn't mean I'm not interested in the delicacies to be found in the local forests and icy waters of Puget Sound. I am. I just don't want to be the person who hikes, camps and dives to get those wonderful foods. So I am grateful there are people like Langdon Cook, who are willing to do the hunting and gathering and then write about it so I can enjoy the adventure vicariously.

Cook's book, Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager, takes us on a culinary journey, as he collects his favorite foods in season throughout the year. Each chapter takes us on a new adventure, from diving for ling cod to hunting for edible mushrooms. He is an engaging writer, combining history, science and a few good recipes in such a way that you feel like you've been on the hike or dive with him. And then had the pleasure of eating the treasures he collected.

Here you will find stories about gathering fern "fiddle heads,"the origins of at least a dozen types of oysters, jigging for squid, sharing huckleberries with bears, identifying edible mushrooms, and much more. At the end of each chapter is a recipe, featuring that chapter's foraged food. If you find, as I did, that after reading the book you want to know more about Cook's adventures, you can keep current by following his blog.

It is amusing to me that this book about the ancient practice of hunting and gathering is available for download to your Kindle. What a world we live in!

Horse Heaven

2011-08-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

(NOTE: This review was originally posted on May 2, 2011.)

The 137th running of the Kentucky Derby will be this Saturday, May 7. Billed as "the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports," this event is steeped in tradition, from the racing silks, to the elaborate garland of roses presented to the winner, to drinking mint juleps and singing "My Old Kentucky Home." Derby Day is also a fashion show, where women's hats rival those seen at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton last week.

For all of that, the real stars of the show are the horses. Have you ever wondered what it takes to breed and train a race horse? I knew next to nothing about the subject until I read Jane Smiley's book, "Horse Heaven." I picked the book up on a whim when browsing at a local bookstore. I remembered reading Smiley's book, "Moo," years ago and how much I enjoyed the characters she created.

Although I wasn't sure I was that interested in horse racing, I thought that if anyone could create a compelling story about this sport, it would be Smiley. I was not disappointed. In this book she has created not one story, but several, giving the reader many views into this world of high hopes, high stakes and frequent heartbreak. You see it through the eyes of trainers, owners, riders, bettors, and you hear from a woman who communicates telepathically with horses.

Of particular interest to me is Smiley's take on what a race horse thinks about his world. Beyond what might be called "horse sense," she imagines how a horse experiences his circumstances and decides what to do. (She also takes a brief journey into the mind of one owner's little dog, which gave me a new and slightly more positive perspective on those yappy creatures.) As the stories of each of her horse "characters" unfold, individual personalities emerge, contrasting with those of the humans along side them.

The business of horse racing is complex, demanding and very expensive. Smiley shows us this world in detail, from the tedium of day to day care of the horses to the coddling of their owners. The view isn't always pretty, but it is fascinating.

Above all, this book is a series of stories about relationships: relationships between spouses, lovers, family members, co-workers, business associates, and between humans and animals. It is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, although it has elements of both. If you are looking for an absorbing read, I'd say put your money down on "Horse Heaven" -- it's a pretty safe bet.

Post Secret

2011-08-10T05:42:00.001-07:00

The Post Secret books are the result of a project started by Frank Warren in January of 2005. He began by leaving pre-printed post cards in various places, with a note asking people to send the cards back to him, anonymously, with a secret they had never told another person. In the beginning, just a few trickled in, and then a few more, and in a short time there was a steady flow of cards arriving at his Maryland address.

The woman who was the letter carrier on Warren's route during that time wrote a wonderful blog post last year, describing how the project unfolded from the post office perspective. She noticed the post cards as they began to show up to be sorted and delivered each day. She didn't think too much about them and certainly never turned one over to read it. But one day she dropped one of the cards and it landed message side up. As she bent over to pick it up, she couldn't help but see what it said: "I like to have sex with strangers." From that day on, life was a lot more interesting for employees at that post office.

Years have gone by, and the postcards keep on coming. Some have simple hand-written messages. Others are clever works of art. All are touching in some way.

Every Sunday, Warren posts a new crop of postcards on his blog. The Sunday Secrets have become part of my Sunday morning ritual, right along with coffee and the Sunday paper. Over the years, Warren has compiled these postcards into books - five of them so far.

What is amazing to me is that people keep writing about the same themes of love and loss, life and death, joy and betrayal, and yet each is a fresh expression. Of course, the same thing can be said of most books. And yet, this project is unique: for while reading other people's secrets might be life changing for a reader, finding the courage to share one of these secrets is undoubtedly life changing for the writer.

Having a Baby

2011-08-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

My oldest child was born in the US Air Force Hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany, in May of 1970.

For you younger moms out there, I'd like to point out that giving birth in a hospital 40 years ago was a very different experience than what you have today. Back then, natural childbirth was discouraged. In the delivery room, we gave birth laying flat on our backs with our hands shackled - it was considered necessary to tie our hands down to prevent us from reaching down, touching our babies and "contaminating" them. Most hospitals had policies forbidding dads from being in the delivery room - it was thought that fathers would faint or throw up, thus requiring medical attention. It was better to have them wait outside where they wouldn't be any trouble to anyone.

I was aware of all this because I had been present at various births during nurses' training back in the States. Watching moms struggle to give birth, having no control over their situation, gorked out on drugs, in a room full of strangers, made me determined to have a better experience. To me, that meant natural childbirth.

Of course, at the time that I made that decision, I hadn't counted on moving to a foreign country, getting pregnant and delivering at a military hospital. But there I was. And if information on natural childbirth was scarce stateside, it was non-existent in my military community abroad. I was on my own to figure this out.

It happened then that I came across a book called "Thank You, Dr. Lamaze," written originally in the 1950s by Marjorie Karmel, who also was on a quest to find a way to give birth more easily and naturally. (Have you ever noticed how books seem to show up just when you need them?) This book did not explain the Lamaze method in a step-by-step way, because it was, as I recall, more of a memoir. But from it I did learn breathing techniques to use in labor.

I didn't get to have natural childbirth with my first child. But I came close. I was admitted to the hospital at noon and he was born around 2:30 p.m. I did my breathing and it worked! I didn't feel like I needed anything for pain. However, it was hospital policy that all moms were given spinal anesthesia before delivery. I protested, but they gave it to me anyway. After the injection, I had a half dozen contractions and my son was born.

The experience showed me that I could have a baby fairly easily without drugs. Which is exactly what I did when my second child was born in a Chicago-area hospital two years later. I had to interview several doctors before I found one who would allow me to deliver naturally. But I succeeded and am glad for having had that experience. Learning to work with my body during labor, breathing to keep my body as relaxed as possible, allowed me to experience the full-on power of giving birth. It was, to use a word often wasted on the mundane, awesome.

If you are looking for a book on Lamaze technique, there are better books available. (Check Amazon's reviews.) But I find it interesting that more than 50 years on, Marjorie Karmel's experiences have so resonated with readers that her book is still in print. To her, I say, thank you.

Are you a mom? Was there a book you read during pregnancy that made a difference for you? Please add a comment and share your experience.