In honor of Halloween I dressed Athena as a fashionable dog with a nice, new fleece jacket and a homemade dog scarf who has humans who over-indulge her.
I dressed as an over-indulgent human who likes to be drug along at a stupid fast pace by a dog and I finished it off with my Alpaca wool Andean knit hat.
We then headed out for 6.7 miles in 1:26 so we could be seen because Halloween costumes must be seen and the I realized that we dress like this 3 times a week this time of year even when there is no holiday. I wonder how many people thought we were dressed up for Halloween.
Scary, Huh?
So you are asking why the One Eyed... Well, if I walk to the tempo of that song I average a little over 4.8 MPH. I need to find another tune with the same tempo. I'm tired of that one.
I decided to drop the yogurt from my diet since it has been making me flemmy and I replaced it with Almond milk which is easy to make.
You soak 1 cup of almonds in water for 12 hours, drain and rinse them. Then you put them in a blender with 1 1/2 cups of water and some soaked dates or raisins - 3 dates or 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/2 tsp or Vanilla and blend until smooth. Then add another cup of water and blend some more. Pour the whole thing through a fine mesh sieve and work the material with a rubber spatula until all of the liquid is through then toss the extra pulp. Done! Easy right?
More soon...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Convenient Garbage
When you walk along city streets it is impossible not to notice all of the trash along the road. You get to try to help your dog avoid broken glass while you look at the same garbage day after day.
Among the highest volume of garbage we see are fast food wrappers and cups, pop bottles and cans, energy drink containers, cigarette packs and butts, beer and booze bottles and bus schedules.
Except for the bus schedules I have a solution that would cut down the garbage and maybe stop it altogether.
1. We need to make it illegal to sell any beverage at a convenience store in a container smaller than say 32 ounces. They are too hard to drink from while walking or driving so they would be less likely to end up along the road.
2. We need to force the fast food shops to pack their food to go - Family Style - in one bag with the sandwiches stacked on one side and the fries on the other. That way if the food is consumed in the car there will only be one bag to end up on the road instead of 10. The soda should also be served in a large thermos with NO cups. I doubt anyone will bring their own disposable cups just to litter later.
3. Stop selling filtered cigarettes and instead let smokers buy their own like in the old movies where the chic smokers would have their own. Also allow no packaging for the cigarettes themselves. Let smokers get their own chic cigarette cases - again like the old days. That way there will be no butts or boxes along the road.
4. Cheap beer, wine and booze should also only be sold in 32 ounce or larger plastic containers so drunk nitwits don't drink while they walk or drive and then throw the container along the road.
5. Littering should be punishable by the loss of your driver's license for 6 months for a first offense, 1 year for a second and life for a third with community service cleaning the streets and parks in equal time amounts for the offense.
The truth is that I actually think these are reasonable ways to solve this problem. It helps that I don't eat fast food ever, drink soda or energy drinks ever, smoke or drink cheap beer, wine or booze ever.
Remember, it's not whining if you have an actual solution to the problem.
More soon......
Among the highest volume of garbage we see are fast food wrappers and cups, pop bottles and cans, energy drink containers, cigarette packs and butts, beer and booze bottles and bus schedules.
Except for the bus schedules I have a solution that would cut down the garbage and maybe stop it altogether.
1. We need to make it illegal to sell any beverage at a convenience store in a container smaller than say 32 ounces. They are too hard to drink from while walking or driving so they would be less likely to end up along the road.
2. We need to force the fast food shops to pack their food to go - Family Style - in one bag with the sandwiches stacked on one side and the fries on the other. That way if the food is consumed in the car there will only be one bag to end up on the road instead of 10. The soda should also be served in a large thermos with NO cups. I doubt anyone will bring their own disposable cups just to litter later.
3. Stop selling filtered cigarettes and instead let smokers buy their own like in the old movies where the chic smokers would have their own. Also allow no packaging for the cigarettes themselves. Let smokers get their own chic cigarette cases - again like the old days. That way there will be no butts or boxes along the road.
4. Cheap beer, wine and booze should also only be sold in 32 ounce or larger plastic containers so drunk nitwits don't drink while they walk or drive and then throw the container along the road.
5. Littering should be punishable by the loss of your driver's license for 6 months for a first offense, 1 year for a second and life for a third with community service cleaning the streets and parks in equal time amounts for the offense.
The truth is that I actually think these are reasonable ways to solve this problem. It helps that I don't eat fast food ever, drink soda or energy drinks ever, smoke or drink cheap beer, wine or booze ever.
Remember, it's not whining if you have an actual solution to the problem.
More soon......
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Everything In Moderation?
People often fall back into the comforting arms of the old saying "everything in moderation." On first blush it seems reasonable, but on further examination it makes little sense. I won't be ridiculous and talk about eating really nasty stuff, but if you liked to eat laundry detergent no amount would be OK.
Most of the stuff you need to avoid in any amounts are the "foods" from fast food places, processed crap, and fried foods. Most of these include an out of proportion amount of saturated fats. You need some saturated fats for normal body operations, but if you are the average woman on a 1600 calorie diet that amount is less than 10 grams per day. One chicken breast fried with the skin on averages 5 grams of saturated fat and 18 grams overall not to mention 850 milligrams of sodium.
If you choose chicken fried with the skin off it is about half the fat but the sodium remains over 700 milligrams. Unfortunately even the rotisserie chickens have 3.5 grams of saturated fat per serving because they are cooked with the skin on.
If you bake the chicken breast with the skin removed the saturated fat drops under 1 gram. That is the way to moderate your intake.
I like to grill my chicken with the skin and bone removed. To save time cooking you can also pound it to 1/2 inch thickness then grill it for 3 minutes a side then let it rest covered in foil for a couple of minutes before serving.
I now only buy organic chicken. That way I avoid hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and genetically modified feed.
Exercise:
So far this week Athena and I have been out twice on our 6.7 mile route and have been over 4.8 MPH average both times. When we were in Yosemite I found a wide mesh belt. I loop her leash onto the belt and wear it a little higher than my waist. That way I get to move my arms and she can keep a little pace pressure on the entire time.
Recipe:
I made a bunch of pesto and portioned it and froze it. The other day I steamed some short grain brown rice and cooked some of the Truroots Sprouted Bean Trio. I mixed the rice and beans in pretty equal amounts, added some red onion and a medium tomato and then tossed it all with the pesto. It was really good and works as a bowl of warm food or added cold on a green salad as well.
It's nice when things that are good for you are great tasting as well.
More soon...
Most of the stuff you need to avoid in any amounts are the "foods" from fast food places, processed crap, and fried foods. Most of these include an out of proportion amount of saturated fats. You need some saturated fats for normal body operations, but if you are the average woman on a 1600 calorie diet that amount is less than 10 grams per day. One chicken breast fried with the skin on averages 5 grams of saturated fat and 18 grams overall not to mention 850 milligrams of sodium.
If you choose chicken fried with the skin off it is about half the fat but the sodium remains over 700 milligrams. Unfortunately even the rotisserie chickens have 3.5 grams of saturated fat per serving because they are cooked with the skin on.
If you bake the chicken breast with the skin removed the saturated fat drops under 1 gram. That is the way to moderate your intake.
I like to grill my chicken with the skin and bone removed. To save time cooking you can also pound it to 1/2 inch thickness then grill it for 3 minutes a side then let it rest covered in foil for a couple of minutes before serving.
I now only buy organic chicken. That way I avoid hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and genetically modified feed.
Exercise:
So far this week Athena and I have been out twice on our 6.7 mile route and have been over 4.8 MPH average both times. When we were in Yosemite I found a wide mesh belt. I loop her leash onto the belt and wear it a little higher than my waist. That way I get to move my arms and she can keep a little pace pressure on the entire time.
Recipe:
I made a bunch of pesto and portioned it and froze it. The other day I steamed some short grain brown rice and cooked some of the Truroots Sprouted Bean Trio. I mixed the rice and beans in pretty equal amounts, added some red onion and a medium tomato and then tossed it all with the pesto. It was really good and works as a bowl of warm food or added cold on a green salad as well.
It's nice when things that are good for you are great tasting as well.
More soon...
Monday, October 24, 2011
We Brought The Sun Back With Us - OK Maybe Not
5400 miles later we made it home without any bad incidents. The RV is basically in tact though we had to replace the trap in the bathroom sink and the door handle in the bathroom.
The electric step decided it wanted to run even after it was totally retracted and broke the retracting part. When that didn't stop it running I had to cut the power to it.
A gentleman informed us at Arches that our rear lights weren't working. A shop in Moab quickly found that the fixtures were old and the lights had come loose. They tightened them up and the problem never recurred.
When we arrived at the Needles Outpost we were greeted by waterworks as the hose connecting the fresh water tank to the pump had come loose. Luckily they had water for us to use and the fix was simple.
Other things that came loose from vibration I guess were the crank handle for the antenna - twice- and the water connections under the bathroom sink - once.
The roof AC works great as long as it's not over 95 degrees. It is less effective then.
We learned that we didn't need to pack the BBQ and propane tank as we didn't use it once.
We ran a little short of oats and dog food.
We ate most of our meals in the RV. Other than the meals we made we had 5 dinners and one lunch out.
We had a great trip. The 5 weeks we were out really let us bond in a special way with Athena. While we weren't with her 24/7 we were close to that. She adjusted to the travelling in a week or so and actually came to notice the process for getting ready to go and would plop down between the seats and wait. That made it a little difficult to get seated sometimes but we also adjusted.
While she enjoyed the travelling and exploring, she was ecstatic when we came home Sunday morning. At first she was in a little disbelief, but after she inspected and reinspected the house and yard she piled up on the bed for a proper nap. After that she went through all of her little moves she uses to get treats and try to get us to play. Once she was done she was finally satisfied that we were in fact home.
More soon...
The electric step decided it wanted to run even after it was totally retracted and broke the retracting part. When that didn't stop it running I had to cut the power to it.
A gentleman informed us at Arches that our rear lights weren't working. A shop in Moab quickly found that the fixtures were old and the lights had come loose. They tightened them up and the problem never recurred.
When we arrived at the Needles Outpost we were greeted by waterworks as the hose connecting the fresh water tank to the pump had come loose. Luckily they had water for us to use and the fix was simple.
Other things that came loose from vibration I guess were the crank handle for the antenna - twice- and the water connections under the bathroom sink - once.
The roof AC works great as long as it's not over 95 degrees. It is less effective then.
We learned that we didn't need to pack the BBQ and propane tank as we didn't use it once.
We ran a little short of oats and dog food.
We ate most of our meals in the RV. Other than the meals we made we had 5 dinners and one lunch out.
We had a great trip. The 5 weeks we were out really let us bond in a special way with Athena. While we weren't with her 24/7 we were close to that. She adjusted to the travelling in a week or so and actually came to notice the process for getting ready to go and would plop down between the seats and wait. That made it a little difficult to get seated sometimes but we also adjusted.
While she enjoyed the travelling and exploring, she was ecstatic when we came home Sunday morning. At first she was in a little disbelief, but after she inspected and reinspected the house and yard she piled up on the bed for a proper nap. After that she went through all of her little moves she uses to get treats and try to get us to play. Once she was done she was finally satisfied that we were in fact home.
More soon...
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Back To Athena - For Dog's Sake
We crossed over the 5000 mile mark today and it struck me that Athena has invented her own RV groove. While she started out drooling and scratching the crap out of my legs she now has a calm and serene approach to RV travel.
What she wants from me mostly is to lay her head on my leg WITHOUT me touching her. If I touch her she grouses and moves to Pam's side. Pam can touch her, but I can't. I guess I don't do it right.
All of the packing seemed great until the last couple of days. Athena has had more of an appetite lately and we are now down to 2 days worth of food with 4 1/2 days to go. I hate to buy another 40 lb bag of food when there is half that much at home. I guess we are keeping her for a while longer.
We find ourselves in Coeur D'Alene Idaho tonight. We began at Bank's Lake Washington which was 30 feet low due to maintenance on the Grand Coulee Dam. We were told they only do it every 20 years so I guess we were lucky to see it - or not - I don't know.
The weather is nice - mid 60's and mostly sunny. That will hold us as we go back to Spokane tomorrow.
It struck me today that if you travel there from the right direction - say from Grand Coulee - Spokane can be seen as an oasis of sorts. The same will not be true from here.
More soon...
What she wants from me mostly is to lay her head on my leg WITHOUT me touching her. If I touch her she grouses and moves to Pam's side. Pam can touch her, but I can't. I guess I don't do it right.
All of the packing seemed great until the last couple of days. Athena has had more of an appetite lately and we are now down to 2 days worth of food with 4 1/2 days to go. I hate to buy another 40 lb bag of food when there is half that much at home. I guess we are keeping her for a while longer.
We find ourselves in Coeur D'Alene Idaho tonight. We began at Bank's Lake Washington which was 30 feet low due to maintenance on the Grand Coulee Dam. We were told they only do it every 20 years so I guess we were lucky to see it - or not - I don't know.
The weather is nice - mid 60's and mostly sunny. That will hold us as we go back to Spokane tomorrow.
It struck me today that if you travel there from the right direction - say from Grand Coulee - Spokane can be seen as an oasis of sorts. The same will not be true from here.
More soon...
Picture Post 7 - Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon North Rim.
And the South Rim.
Arizona does not do daylight savings time and we forgot about that. We headed out to get some shots on the South Rim and were lucky to get some quick sunset shots. Oh well. The shots I want to take I will when we hike the canyon from one side to the other.
More soon...
Picture Post 6 - Pipe Springs, Vermillion Cliffs, Wupatki and Sunset Crater National Monuments
Pipe Springs.
Vermillion Cliffs
Wupatki.
Sunset Crater.
Next up: Grand Canyon.
More soon...
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Picture Post 5 - Zion
There aren't a ton of Zion shots here as I didn't take my Canon when we hiked because we were doing the Narrows which is the river hike. We got turned around because we didn't really have the right gear and hiked Angel's Landing. I would have taken a ton of shots on Angel's Landing, but no camera.
Here's what we did get with the Pam Cam.
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