Over 40? - So What!

2014-05-05T17:11:00.004-04:00

DORIS DOES PNEUMONIA

There is a Stephen King book called The Dome which was made into a TV series. It's the story of a small town which is mysteriously covered overnight by a clear dome. You can't get in and you can't get out. Why does this remind me so much of Largo, Fl.?

My story begins when my daughter/best friend became ill in January of this year. I stayed with her for two weeks and was returning home at last when a young lady who was late getting back to work from her lunch slammed into my car. Though the car was driveable, I returned to Robin's house to call my insurance company, her insurance company, and - smartest of all - Morgan and Morgan.

When I returned home a couple of days later I had various tests and started therapy for neck and shoulder injuries sustained in the accident. This is still ongoing. Though I am feeling a little better, it looks like it will be a long road to recovery.

Since I am obviously a slow learner, I embarked again for Largo to spend Easter with daughter and family. While there, I developed a cough that just wouldn't go away, so I returned home the Wednesday after Easter. I decided that I must just have a nasty cold and endured my misery until Monday, when I recruited my long-suffering son to take me to the emergency room because I suddenly couldn't breathe.

Imagine my surprise when they took one look at me and rushed me to a bed in the emergency room. After X-rays, blood work, etc. the doctor said, and I quote, "You have a little pneumonia." Is this like being a little bit pregnant?

Two days later they allowed me to go home, loaded down with medications, etc.

So here I am, feeling much better but not quite back to my old energetic self; so bored with inactivity that I just signed up to take an online course in proofreading and copyediting. I have always delighted in finding glaring mistakes in the daily paper, so I figured this would be right up my alley.

Should I blame Largo for all this misfortune? Why not?</

2014-04-27T15:33:00.001-04:00

M E N O P A U S E

The following was submitted by one of our fearless readers. I'm sure you can sympathize.

(sung to Oh, Christmas Tree) "Oh, Menopause, oh menopause, where for art though, menopause? When you first came, I was so young......But now I'm cranky, and high-strung......Oh Menopause, oh menopause, I'm counting days, until you come."

Thanks, Julie

FOR THE LOVE OF AVOCADOS

2014-04-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

I came to the appreciation of avocados late in life. They were like mangoes - a Southern food that seldom appeared in our Northern states back when I was younger. Even after we moved to the best place in the world, Florida, the old northern tastes prevailed, but once I was introduced to this wonderful fruit it began a love affair that has lasted to this day.

I love all kinds of avocados; the Haas with their rich, buttery taste and the lower calorie but much larger Florida avocados that require a little boost to kick up their blander taste. Although far from low-cal, this luscious fruit is chock full of that monosaturated fat that is so good for you. In a vegan or vegetarian diet, the avocado (also known as alligator pear for obvious reasons) is a sinfully creamy delight.

Herewith, a few recipes for those of all tastes, purely vegetarian or omnivorous:

QUICKY GUACAMOLE

One ripe Florida green avocado or 2 ripe Haas avocados

Juice of 1/2 lime

2-3 T. mango salsa (I like the Paul Newman's)

fresh ground black pepper

Mash the avocados and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Use as a dip or as a sandwich spread instead of mayonnaise (or just to eat with a spoon, it's that good).

AVOCADO SALAD

One ripe Florida avocado

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 jarred roasted red pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2-3 c. mixed salad greens
1/4 t. dried dill

Toasted walnuts

Slice avocado in half lengthwise and remove pit. Scoop out flesh, just leaving a thin layer on the rind. Cut up the flesh into about 1/2" chunks. Slice the red pepper into strips. Sprinkle 1 t. of lime juice over the avocado shells. Whisk the rest of the lime juice and the olive oil with a fork and toss with the greens. add the red pepper, dill and the avocado chunks and toss gently. Pile into the empty shells and top with the walnuts.

2 Servings.
CHOCOLATE AVOCADO PUDDING

One ripe Florida avocado, peeled, pit removed and cut in chunks
1 t. vanilla
4 T. unsweetened cocoa
4 T. real maple syrup
6 T. almond milk

Pop it all in the blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.

Top it with a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt sweetened with a little stevia and serve with some fresh raspberries, if desired.

Two servings.

These are just a few ideas. This versatile fruit can be used for a lot of

delicious dishes. Simply adding avocado slices to a sandwich or a

salad can make these ordinary meals really special.

ENJOY

HIGH FLIGHT

2014-04-16T16:23:00.003-04:00

I recently came across this poem that I had read many years ago. It is so touching and beautiful that I wanted to share it with you. It was written by John Gillespie Magee, Jr. and was composed in 1941 while he was a pilot in England during World War II. Soon after writing it, at the age of 19, he was killed while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

HIGH FLIGHT

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on

laughter-silvered wings:

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the

tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of

Wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence;

hov'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along,

and flung

My eager craft through footless halls

of air.

Up, the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the windswept heights

with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while the silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face

of God.

2014-04-15T09:46:00.000-04:00

I SWEAR!

I JUST FOUND IT HERE.

I WAS TRYING TO GIVE IT MOUTH TO MOUTH.

2014-04-14T17:05:00.002-04:00

PERSEVERE

That old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" has a ton of truth in it. Most people fail because they don't keep on trying. Who knows, the next time might be the one that works, but if you stop you'll never find out. How about a few examples of folks who never gave up no matter what anyone said?

Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four years old and didn't read until he was seven. His teacher said he was "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions rather than improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
Thomas Edison's teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything.
Henry Ford went broke five times before he finally succeeded.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
Babe Ruth was famous for setting the home run record, but he also holds the record for strikeouts.
Grandma Moses didn't begin painting until she was 76 years old and kept painting for the rest of her life. She died at 101.
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He did not become Prime Minister until he was 62, and then only after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks.
Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, was told by her family to find work as a servant or seamstress.
Stephen Hawkings never let his severe disabilities stop him from using his brilliant mind.

Celebrate every small success. Regard a failure as a learning experience and move on.It's never too late to follow a dream. If you let rejection, despair and mockery influence what you do, you'll lose the chance to see what you could be.

2014-04-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

I had just about decided to never watch the news or read a newspaper or touch my computer. All the news seemed really BAD, and I was frustrated that I couldn't really do anything about it. I doubted that my measly vote would make a difference, although I sincerely wanted to vote everybody who was in - out

While going through my possible blog posts folder I came across the following, which was written on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster Abbey (1100 A.D.):

"When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.

"But it, too, seemed immovable.

"As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

"And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize; if I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

"From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world."

What a concept! If we all decided - before we were on our deathbeds - to start change within ourselves, what might we accomplish?

ANOTHER GMO RANT

2014-04-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'm all for science and the many good things it has brought us. Life-saving drugs and improved surgical techniques have saved many lives. And the researchers and doctors who once pooh-poohed the idea that what you eat could affect your health are now climbing on board the healthy foods bandwagon.

That's good science. Let's talk about Monsanto, et al and good-only-for-the-bottom-line science. Years ago when the chemical companies were pushing their pesticides and herbicides, they had a real problem. Unfortunately the products that could kill the bugs and weeds also killed the crops. What to do? What to do?

How about messing around with a little gene splicing so that the seeds were resistant to the poison that killed bugs and weeds? You could spray Roundup all over the corn, soy, etc. since the crops were Roundup-resistant. Not only could you sell the heck out of Roundup, but now the only seeds the farmers could use were those Roundup resistant ones. And the best part? These little buggers produced sterile plants, so no problem with saving some of the seeds to sow next year because all they would do is just lay there and rot. The company bean counters were beside themselves with joy. Self-propagating profit! But you better not fool with Mother Nature. Her little bugs and weeds developed a resistance to Roundup so farmers had to use more and more of it. Again a win-win for Monsanto.

You will hear that the majority of these frankencrops are not in your supermarket. They are, instead, used as animal feed. Of course - just like us - animals are what they eat. Since the GMO crops are cheaper than the old conventional varieties, they are sold to the food manufacturers to be converted into that super sweetener High Fructose Corn Syrup. They are also used in most processed foods under a plethora of names that are not only unpronounceable, but give little hint of their origin.

There are still some corn, soy and other crops that have not been 'improved' by agrichem (my word) companies. They are clearly marked ORGANIC - NON-GMO. If you make the decision to do without pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, antibiotics, etc. in your food, it is difficult but not impossible. The extra that you spend for real food will be much less than what you would spend at the doctor's office attempting to undo the damage done by our food manufacturers.

If you would like to give real food a fighting chance, you can download a free list of Non-GMO foods to take with you when you shop. This is by no means a complete list, since it's a category that changes frequently. You can return to this site later on to see the updates.
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

FRACTURED FAIRYTALES

2014-04-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time there was a quite chubby little girl named Goldilocks. Goldilocks had the unfortunate habit of wandering away from home in search of cream puffs. One day while on her puffy quest she became lost in the woods. She was crying and hungry and trying to find her way home when she came upon a charming cottage. "Maybe they will have some cream puffs", she thought. She knocked on the door but there was no answer, so she pushed the door open and went in.

She was very tired from her wandering. There were three chairs in the room. A great big one, a middle sized one and an itty bitty one. She tried out the itty bitty one, but it was too small. Then she tried out the middle sized one, but it also was too small. But the great big one was just right.

She sat in the great big chair and noticed that there were three cream puffs on the table. A great big one, a middle sized one and an itty bitty one. First she ate the itty bitty one, but that was not enough, so then she ate the middle sized one. This wasn't enough either, so she ate the great big one.

Now even Goldilocks was stuffed, so she wandered into the bedroom and there were three beds. A great big one, a middle sized one and an itty bitty one. Remembering past experiences, she opted for the great big one right away and fell fast asleep.

Well, who should come home to their little cottage but three bears. A great big one, a middle sized one and an itty bitty one. They had been out for a walk before eating their dessert and were looking forward to their cream puffs.

"Look", cried the itty bitty bear," my cream puff is all gone" . "Look" said the middle sized bear, "mine is gone too". The great big bear growled, "Who ate our cream puffs?"

They looked in the bedroom and there, in the great big bed, they found Goldilocks, with cream still on her face.

So they ate her instead.

The moral of this story: If you're going to steal cream puffs from bears, make sure you have a get-away car handy and, for Pete's sake, don't take a nap first.

2014-04-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

DIET MISTAKES THAT WILL
KEEP YOU FAT

Unrestrained, unhealthy eating and uncontrolled weight gain are not good for our bodies. Lets face it, the chances of you or someone you know wanting to get diabetes, high blood pressure, a heart attack or any of the other diseases and maladies that may be the consequences of being overweight are slim. We all know, well most of us, the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and weight, but sometimes we need to be reminded.

I'll tell you right now that these 7 diet mistakes were part of my daily eating routine (there were actually a lot more), in fact I still find myself struggling with a few.

We all need to stop expecting perfection from ourselves and others; we are all perfectly imperfect after all. We will make mistakes; what we have to work toward is minimizing them as much as possible. So here are seven of the most self-destructive errors that contribute to a flabby middle.

#1 Too many liquid calories

If you subscribe to the notion that "liquids don't count, they go in and then out", you might be surprised to learn that Americans get 21% of their calories from beverages.

Specialty coffee drinks, fruit and energy drinks and alcohol are some of the biggest calorie offenders. Alcohol may be the worst because drinking relaxes our willpower. After a couple of drinks, eating half a pizza may not seem like such a bad idea.

#2 Skipping meals to cut out calories

Not eating regularly throughout the day slows down your metabolism, making it harder to lose and easier to gain.

#3 Not drinking enough water.

Water is essential for burning calories and plays an integral role in nearly every biological process in the body.

When we're not well - hydrated our metabolism drags.

#4 Waiting for the Diet Fairy to swoop down, twang you with her magic wand and "poof" your extra pounds away.

Umm, what are you smoking?

#5 Eating too little

Mistake #2 talked about intentionally skipping meals to cut calories; here we are talking about not eating enough or often enough.

Our bodies are built to help prevent starving when there's not enough food to go around. Your body perceives any drastic reduction of calories as a threat of possible starvation and rapidly adjusts (slows) its metabolism.

#6 Mindless eating - if it's not on a plate it doesn't count

Unless you're keeping a food journal you probably don't have a clue as to how much you really eat. Unknowingly putting hand to mouth or "eating amnesia" accounts for the large consumption of calories that have little to no nutritional value.

#7 If you exercise, you can eat anything

Just because you exercise regularly doesn't mean you can feast on garbage food all the time without worrying. Exercise won't benefit you much if you stuff your body with crap.

Exercise alone is not enough, you also need to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

Don't believe #4. There really is a Diet Fairy. Anybody who doesn't believe in the Diet Fairy probably doesn't believe in the Tooth Fairy or Santa. Geesh.

2014-04-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

NANO WHAT?

The wonders of modern science are truly mind-boggling. First we had GMO, then we had BPA and now -tada!- the purveyors of our foodstuffs proudly present - NANO!

As you know, in our blog we have beaten the heck out of GMO and stated our aversion to all things Monsanto, and then we jumped all over plastics and can linings and BPA. Bloody but unbowed, science has now snuck in the back door with a science fiction staple - nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology, that geeky mad scientist vision of the future, has now invaded the food industry. While we may not thrill to the idea of tiny robots scurrying about our bodies, poking their teensy noses into every cell and molecule, we can at least see the possibilities of their being useful in a medical sense. In our food - not so much.

Few, if any, studies demonstrate the safety of nanoparticles in food, yet nanomaterials are making their way into our food supplies. Currently the United States has no labeling requirement for products or packaging containing nanomaterials. The FDA has stated that nanomaterials cannot generally be regarded as safe. Ingredients that are GRAS (generally recognized as safe) at the macro level may not be safe at the nanoscale.

Their small size allows nanoparticles to go places in the body that larger particles cannot. Whether you inhale 'em, eat 'em or rub 'em on your skin, once they get in you they can penetrate cell walls and pass into the lymph and blood system. From there it's a hop, skip and jump to bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, liver, heart and they're even small enough to cross the blood brain barrier.

A laboratory study showed titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the white powdered sugar that coats Dunkin' Donuts Powdered Cake Donuts and Hostess Donettes. (See Slipping Through the Cracks: An Issue Brief on Nanomaterials in Food http://asyousow.org/health_safety/nanoissuebrief.shtml.)

Back in 1966 a classic sci-fi movie was released called Fantastic Voyage. To save the life of a diplomat, a group of doctors and scientists in a submarine were were shrunk down to the size of a bacterium and injected into the diplomat to "make repairs internally". This is actually the cutting edge of medicine today (not tiny scientists - nanobots). Amazing - and no prob. Years of research and countless studies enabled such breakthroughs. Unfortunately, when it comes to what goes into our foodstuffs, the attitude seems to be "Oh, wow. A whole country full of lab rats. Let's throw this out and see if anybody develops anything interesting."

If you needed still another reason to avoid processed foods, think about this one. Pleasant dreams.

2014-04-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

JUST A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR

It's difficult to turn on the TV lately without seeing the BREAKING NEWS that too much sugar is bad for you. Duh. Newscasters are delightedly reporting that studies have shown that the average American consumes 130 pounds of sugar per year (some studies have indicated that we eat 140 pounds a year, but what's a few pounds among friends?).

Let's do the math:

one pound of sugar = two cups x 130 = 260 cups per year

260 cups divided by 365 days (we won't do leap years) = .71 cups per day

That's very close to 3/4 cup each day. Now I know you're thinking that you certainly do not consume that much sugar in a day. If all you're considering is the spoonful or two that you put in your coffee, remember that virtually ALL processed foods contain either some form of sugar or an artificial sweetener.

Do you eat flavored yogurt? Sugar
Do you drink milk? Sugar Chocolate milk? Sugar, sugar, sugar.
Soda? Sugar or Splenda or aspartame, etc.
Bread or other baked goods? Sugar
Cottage cheese? Sugar
Energy or breakfast bars? Sugar
Fruit juice? Sugar

Just check out the ingredients in the packaged food you buy. Better yet, stop at your local MacDonald's and ask to see the ingredient list of any of their 'food'. Lots of luck with that.

If you really want to get scared, figure out the calories.

one cup of sugar is 768 calories
.71 cup is 545 calories PER DAY
545 calories x 7 = 3815 calories per week
Every extra 3500 calories you consume = one pound of weight

Presumably you don't lounge all day in a pile of pillows with servants bringing you goodies and peeling you grapes. If that were the case, math tells us you would gain in excess of one pound per week. Since most of us have places to go and things to do we will work off some of those calories, but they are always there, lurking, waiting for us to take a few days off.

I'm sure our readers are much more savvy than average and probably are careful about what they eat, but it's easy to fall into the trap of a Starbuck's latte with soy milk (21 g. of sugar), or a 6" sweet onion chicken teriyaki at Subway (19 g. of sugar). Don't forget the office donuts or Aunt Tillie's double chocolate brownies. It would be rude to decline.

The point is that we are surrounded on all sides by the beguiling allure of sweetness. If sweetness is what you want, make it a piece of fresh fruit. Sure it has fructose, but it also has fiber and all those macro-and micro-nutrients that make it a whole food. Save the indulgences for special occasions and you may find that you have lost the taste for them.

2014-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

WE'RE BAAAAACK

We were shocked and appalled when we realized that we last posted to our blog in December of last year. Shame,shame on us.

In our defense, we have been working for the past many months on a work of fiction - novel length. This, coupled with some unforeseen circumstances, is our excuse. Robin, in addition to helping to write our book, is working on a website design, so I will be doing the blogging for the foreseeable future - and continuing to work on our book. What the heck happened to retirement? Ah well, 'tis a labor of love.

Now that you have heard our lengthy - and boring - excuses, what can you expect to hear from me? Depending on time constraints and whether I feel like it or not, you may read (please read - we would love more followers) an exposé of some of the abuses foisted on us by Big Pharm, Big Ag, etc.; a video of a cute kitty; a book review; cartoons; recipes; short stories; and blah, blah, blah. I'm nothing if not eclectic.

If you have managed to stay awake to get to this point, we love you. To our devoted readers, we appreciate your comments and suggestions. If there is something you would like me to research or discuss, let me know. Your wish is my command. I work cheap (free).

Doris

2013-12-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

My gift to you, a savory dip that won't pack on the pounds this holiday season. This recipe was a favorite with readers of my book, Eat All Day - Drink All Day. It's super easy and make-ahead and yummy.

HOT CHEESY BEAN DIP

1 can (15.5 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. salsa (hot, medium or mild - your choice)
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
i T. water
1/4 c. shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

Put it all in the blender except for the cheese and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then nuke for 1-1/2 minutes on high; stir and nuke another 30 seconds or until hot. Stir in cheese and serve with fresh veggies or tortilla chips.

Makes 1-1/2 cups at 24 calories per tablespoon.

2013-12-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

LET'S DO THE MATH

2013-03-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

Research has shown that the average American consumes - are you ready? - 130 pounds of sugar each year. Of course, WE'RE not average, but be aware that sugar in its myriad forms is found in almost everything we eat. Yes, even carrots or cauliflower or onions and in all fruits.

If we stuck to veggies and fruit they would provide us with all the sugar we require, and the accompanying nutrients and fiber are just (excuse the pun) the icing on the cake. But what is life without an occasional scoop of ice cream or a slice of birthday cake? Man - or woman - does not live by produce alone.

Back to sugar, let's do the math. If the average person does indeed consume 130 pounds of sugar each year, then

I pound of sugar = 2 cups, so 130 pounds = 260 cups/year (WOW)
365 days into 260 cups =.71 cup/day or a little less than 3/4 cup
1 cup of sugar = 768 calories
768 calories x .71 = 545 calories/day
545 calories/day x 365 days = 198,925 calories/year
Since 3500 calories = l pound of body weight
3500 calories into 198,925 = 56.84 pounds of weight/year

HOLY FLAB, BATMAN

Too much sugar causes the pancreas to produce too much insulin which leads to insulin resistance (cells cannot absorb any more insulin) and here comes diabetes.

At almost 57 additional pounds per year, how come we're not all grossly obese? This is 57 pounds if you never moved a muscle. This is 57 pounds if you ate nothing but sugar. This is 57 pounds if you never (ahem) used the bathroom facilities (and then you'd have a lot more than 57 extra pounds to worry about).

Fortunately, most of us are active enough and eat enough protein, fat, fiber, etc to offset such a huge weight gain. But next week when you bite off "just the ears" of that chocolate Easter bunny, think twice before you follow it up with a handful of jelly beans. Remember, dinner is coming soon - and that luscious Key Lime pie.

2013-03-13T15:07:00.003-04:00

DEFTINITIONS

AMNESIA

A condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to have sex again.

CONFIDENCE

The feeling you have before you understand the situation.

DIPLOMAT

A person who tells you to go to Hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.

EYEDROPPER

A clumsy ophthalmologist

FLABBYGASTED

Appalled over how much weight you have gained.

INTOXICATION

Euphoria at getting a tax refund which lasts until you realize it was your money to begin with.

POLYGON
A dead parrot.

STERILIZE

What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

2013-02-28T17:13:00.000-05:00

I reviewed this book over a year ago in our (now defunct) magazine Life-Style. Since it has been on the best seller list for months now, I thought it was worth repeating here.

WHEAT BELLY

William Davis, MD

A gluten-free diet, once prescribed only for sufferers of celiac disease, is now the new darling of celebrities and doctors alike.

Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist, has put thousands of his patients on a wheat-free diet and has concluded that it is not fat, nor sugar, nor a sedentary lifestyle that has caused the burgeoning obesity epidemic - it is wheat.

The sturdy grain which used to provide our daily bread has been genetically altered to give processed food manufacturers the highest yield at the lowest cost. This has changed this once wholesome grain into a nutritionally bankrupt ingredient that causes blood sugar to spike faster than eating pure sugar, and has addictive qualities that cause hunger, overeating and fatigue.

Dr. Davis claims that not only will a diet divested of wheat cause weight loss, particularly in the abdomen (hence the title of the book), it is also associated with other significant benefits, including:

Alleviation of metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.
Recovery from intestinal problems, such as ulcerative colitis and celiac disease.
An improvement in cholesterol and LDL counts.
Improvement in bone density and reversal of osteopenia.
Helping skin conditions from psoriasis to oral ulcers and hair loss.
A reduction in inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis pain.

While this all seemed too good to be true, I was intrigued enough to give a wheat (and gluten) free diet a chance. While I didn't have significant weight loss since I had little weight to lose, I did notice many small things that changed for the better. I am sleeping more soundly than before. I seem to be solving crossword and other problems more easily. My hair appears to be getting thicker and my skin is less dry. These are small differences, but enough to make me continue with this regimen. It is easier than I thought it would be.

I recommend Wheat Belly for anyone who suspects that wheat might be causing a problem for them. It's an interesting read and a fascinating look into how a simple diet change can affect how you feel.

A LITTLE SNAP ON THE WRIST

2013-02-26T16:17:00.000-05:00

Do you sometimes (or often) say disparaging things about yourself, to yourself?

You know, you whack your shoulder against the door frame as you walk through it and say, "What a klutz".

You pass a mirror and think, "Lookin' a little haggy today".

A common word in a crossword puzzle that you should know just won't come to you and your response is "Better resign from Mensa, dummy".

We all say such things to ourselves from time to time. If someone said it to us we'd be highly offended, but we don't seem to mind insulting ourselves. It sounds harmless, but our brain - that literal little guy that takes it all as gospel - doesn't process it as harmless. If it's repeated often enough our brain perceives it to be true. Like a little robot, it doesn't get sarcasm.

So how do we train ourselves to stop this self- belittlement? I read an article somewhere (can't remember where. "Way to go mental midget"). See, it's a hard habit to break. Anyway, the writer of the article suggested wearing a rubber band around your wrist and snapping it every time you have such thoughts. Self-applied behavior modification.

If you're someone who doesn't talk down to themselves, wow! Good for you. For the rest of us, this might be a great experiment. If it works on self-deprecation there is no limit to the possibilities. Stop smoking. Swear off donuts. Don't buy that dress you can't afford. It opens up a whole other world!

DO YOU FEAR BEING THINNER?

2013-02-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

Forgive us, we're still struggling to get back to the idea of posting regularly, so with that in mind we're re-posting one of our more popular columns.

So, do you fear being thinner?

I'm sure that many of us who have struggled to lose weight think that is a supremely stupid question, but let's think about it for a moment.

Most human behavior is a quest to satisfy some inner – and usually unrealized – desire. In other words, we wouldn't do it if we weren't, consciously or unconsciously, getting something out of it.

Consider people who go from one abusive relationship to another. Why would they do this? Perhaps because it satisfies some inner need to be punished for a real or imagined sin. How often do you hear one of them say, “It was my fault. I deserved it”. NOBODY deserves it. (My opinion.)

The same theory often applies to those who are overweight. They are well aware that they are harming their bodies – and quite possibly shortening their lives – by carrying around those excess pounds, but they seem unable to correct the situation. Maybe they've found a reason. Is it genetic? A glandular problem? Lack of support from family members? Or is it something else?

What are they getting out of being overweight? Well, for one thing, it gives them an excuse for failing, for being depressed and then indulging that old pleasure center in the brain that is demanding a couple of Snicker's Bars. People don't expect as much from you when you're fat, so it takes some of the pressure off. You don't have to think as much about what you're eating. You just eat what you want, and usually what you want is something quick and easy and plentiful – like fast food and bags of snacks.

Being slender and maintaining a healthy weight is a lot more work than just eating mindlessly. The payoff is a healthy, longer life that is living – not just existing. The payoff is being there for your loved ones and feeling great every day. The payoff is being grateful for the wonderful body you have been given and loving life.

Pretty good payoff, huh?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2013-02-14T00:18:00.001-05:00

Valentine wishes from Robin and Doris at Over 40? So What!

WE'RE STAMPING OUT THE USPS

2013-02-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

Well, as of August, there will be no Saturday postal service, except for packages. In case you were thinking of complaining about this injustice, remember. we were responsible for curtailing our own mail service.

I am just as guilty as anyone, since I use the internet to pay my bills, send greeting cards, correspond with friends, etc. I used to buy a book of stamps every couple of weeks. Now I have almost a full book of Christmas stamps that I stamp the occasional letter with.

I heard on the news last night that for the Postal Service to maintain our services, they would have to charge $1.04 for a first class stamp. You'd have to keep your stamps in your safe deposit box if that happened. You could bequeath them to your children.

The world it is a-changin' and, like the post office, we either have to learn to live with the changes or get the heck out of the way. Sometimes I yearn for the good old days, but not when I'm loading the dishwasher, or watching a first-run movie without leaving the house, or diagnosing my latest ailments on Web.MD. For everything we have given up, we have received - for good or ill - ten things in return.

Anyway, I don't imagine having no Saturday delivery will have as much impact as it would have only a few years ago.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these
couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

But budget problems? Meh

WE'RE BAAAACK

2013-02-06T17:33:00.000-05:00

Like the proverbial bad penny, your friends from Over 40? So What! have turned up again. Our apologies for our absence. We have been working diligently on a new book which may or may not see the light of day within the next year.

Our new effort is a novel and is still in the developmental stage, although a few preliminary chapters are in outline and pre-editing condition. Writing non-fiction is immeasurably easier than writing fiction - who knew? After all, non-fiction relies on data and research. Easy stuff compared to delving into your imagination.

So blah, blah, blah, this is our excuse for not posting to our blog since (gasp) September. We have also regrettably had to give up publishing our monthly magazine, since the amount of work and time that this involved was mind-boggling.

Just to prove that we are sincerely sorry and will produce occasional posts, we hereby cheat by presenting one of our more popular posts from the fairly recent past. We promise to try to do better in future.

THE AMAZING, NON-BROWNING GM APPLE

If you've ever been turned off, disgusted or appalled by a cut apple that has started to turn brown, cheer up! Those friendly folks who brought you the bright red, tasteless tomato have worked their magic on apples.

By inserting an extra copy of a gene that interferes with the enzymatic activity that causes browning - an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase - they have produced a fruit that can be sliced, diced, packaged in plastic and sold round the world to those purists who must have pristine apples.

This is not to be confused with those apple slices that are already available in the produce departments of your neighborhood supermarkets; these contain preservatives, such as ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and calcium chloride. Unfortunately they only (?) have a shelf life of about three weeks. Now wouldn't you rather have a nice genetically modified apple that would mummify before it turned brown?

You know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Wouldn't it be a hoot if they found out later on that what helps keep the doctor away is the enzyme they have managed to nullify?

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ON GROWING OLDER

2012-09-21T13:51:00.000-04:00

It's amazing what having another birthday can do. I had one recently (a major one) and it started me thinking about time and how little of it we may have. Of course, we could all get hit by a truck tomorrow, but I mean we need to learn how to appreciate each day given to us.

It's easy to just grind through a day without stopping to look at the wonderful things around us. I have a Facebook friend who truly seems to know how to observe the little things that color our lives. Her blog posts are full of beautiful things that many of us would not stop to see. Do you see yourself here Theanne?

That old saying about stopping to smell the roses becomes even more relevant as we age. I used to sit at the kitchen table in the morning with my coffee and read the paper. Now I take my cup out onto the porch and look at everything around me. My kitty, Sweetie Puss, enjoys these morning outings as much as I do. While I watch the morning sun coloring the clouds, she watches the lizards climb on the plants outside the screen - knowing she could catch them if only she could get out there.

There are a pair of cardinals that visit my bird bath almost every day, and once they came with a pair of tiny replicas of themselves. Proud parents showing the little ones how to take a morning bath. I was afraid to move for fear of frightening them off. Even Sweetie Puss sat still to watch.

Early morning is the best - before the lawn mowers or the school buses fracture the stillness with the busyness of life. I do my best thinking then - uninterrupted by the telephone or the computer or the planning of the day.

Late afternoon is good too, because of the squirrel. There is a sassy squirrel that lives in a tree at the back of my yard. He travels each day from that side of the yard to the trees on the opposite side - then returns each afternoon to his home. To accomplish this trip he runs across the screen enclosure over the pool, hops down onto the screen around the porch, and travels sideways to the other side. He does this every day at about the same time and Sweetie Puss, who to my knowledge has not learned to tell time, knows when he is about to do this and goes to the door watching for him. She likes to go out on the porch and watch his journey across the screen high above her head. Sometimes he will stop, hanging upside down, and waggle his bushy tail at her. This usually sends her into a paroxysm of activity that I'm sure he finds quite amusing. If squirrels could laugh, he would.

Think of what I would miss if I were in front of a computer or a TV screen! I enjoy my life tremendously and am thankful for each day I have.

LET'S GO ON VACATION

2012-08-15T16:27:00.000-04:00

For those of our readers who didn't check out the July issue of Life-Style, it seemed that
a little vacation story (fictional, of course) might brighten your day, so herewith