Let's Talk About Wealth

In out "Get Yours While You Can" world it seems that many of us are missing one critical piece of information which should change the way we think. That is that there is a finite amount of wealth and as the resources of the world shrink so does the wealth pool.

Why is that important? When the rich get richer the poor must get poorer. The middle class has less as well. The amount in your bank account is not as true a measure of wealth as you would like it to be. It has been diluted by money which is not actually wealth. Money can be and is regularly manipulated. It is not backed by actual wealth. It's only value is in trade to others who believe it has value. 

Real wealth is based on control of resources and commerce. Your bank account and retirement plan and home equity give you very little in the way of control over these things. The people that have that control also have control over the direction of world governments. They decide whether we live peacefully with others or are in a constant state of war.

When the richest in the world continue taking more control over real wealth they take away the chance for people to live life on their own terms. Every time they take another chunk of the wealth they are condemning others to poverty. There is no middle ground or room to debate this. If they take it there is no more for others to get. 

The natural reaction people have is that those on the bottom don't try hard enough or they refuse to assimilate into life as we know it, but the reality is that they have almost no opportunity to do so. 

So, how do the richest keep consolidating more wealth? This is the part that should piss you off. They are invested in all of the things that are wrong in the world. Who do we see as the troublemakers in the world? Banks? Yep, they own them. Insurance companies? Yep, them too. Big Pharm? Yep. And lets add every military and weapons contractor, chemical companies, oil, coal, and the list goes on.

So what if chemicals sprayed liberally on the food supply are making people sick? There are pills to fix that. So what if the oil needs of a greedy country require constant war in the Middle East? We have planes and tanks and guns and Humvees and Drones, etc to deal with that. So what if the cost of medical care is beyond what anyone can actually pay? We have insurance companies for that. So what if nobody can afford a home? There are mortgages available at the bank for that.

Every problem we have living with too little in an economy driven by the richest and unregulated by a government owned by the same people has a fix where those people can continue to consolidate a shrinking amount of wealth. 

The only answer I see is to take back the government from the richest few and return it to a government for the people, by the people and of the people. I only hope it is already not too late to do so.

Be very well and more soon....

Back To The Dog

I have been leaving Athena out of my posts for a while, but She's Baack!

We have been giving her some necessary off leash time on Sundays out by Dupont. Recently we added a route through Amazon's Fulfillment center parking lot which has very few cars in it on Sunday. Today as we walked through Athena was drawn to the cars even though we weren't really walking right by them.

It occurred to us after she went car to car looking in each of them that she was looking for people in the cars. Her life's meaning is getting people in cars to smile at her, after all. She was a little disturbed that there were no people in any of the cars. I think a parking lot is like the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse to her - all those abandoned cars with nobody to smile at her.

In 2 trips through their lot we have the empty zombie cars and the bull frog in the storm drain leaving me to wonder what's next. She fully inspected every door on the sides of the building we walked by so it is safe for others to walk by as well.

She had a great 10 miles of hiking at Packwood Lake with us Saturday as well. She got to jump over or go under 47 blown down trees each way to and from the lake. It was clearly easier for her than us although she had one that it took 3 attempts to jump over.

I might have taken pictures of 3 or 4 downed trees, but 47? Not so much. 

That's all for now. Carry on.

Be very well and more soon....

 

You Are The First Line Of Defense

Someone told me I needed to point out the good people and companies in my blog. I guess it IS easier to read all happy happy joy joy stuff, but that isn't an accurate reflection of the world we live in.

Our capitalism experiment in this country has led to some pretty outrageous nonsense and we either have chosen to participate or look the other way for the most part. Now we are basically screwed. The US Supreme Court just dealt the final blow to anything resembling a fair and un-corrupt government by saying that there can be no limits on what a person donates to a campaign.

That means that the oligarchy is on and the representative government is now a government representative of the distribution of wealth. By my count, that means that 1% of the population now controls the government. If their goals were to make this a better country I wouldn't care, but the goal is to continue consolidating wealth until the 1% is 1/2% or 1/4%.

If there were unlimited potential wealth that wouldn't be so bad but that is not the case either. There is a finite amount of wealth and the more the Koch brothers and their ilk consolidate the less there is for anyone else. That is just the facts folks and they are not happy happy joy joy facts.

I can no longer picture a United States that has a chance of avoiding this outcome. When you can't count on Congress or the Supreme Court to have your back you might as well read up on the duties of a serf because that is what we have, through apathy and inaction, guaranteed for future generations.

We suck. We got greedy and let this happen. We ignored every person that warned us and instead called them granolas, or enviros, or paranoid conspiracy theorists and now it has bit us right in our flabby asses.

That's about as upbeat as I can be right now. My plan is to live as close to the earth as I can for as long as I am still on this planet. I will be as compassionate a tenant as I can be to world. That's the best I can do.

Be very well. Peace, and more soon....

Just When You Thought It Was Safe

I decided to quit writing this blog because I was out of stuff to say, but I have some new itches that need scratching so It's Baaaack!

The timing for this post in particular is due to the fact that Pam and I have decided to eat vegan for April and that since we returned from South America in November of 2010 I have managed to - bit by bit - find about 30 of the pounds I lost.

I know why they are back - the ponds that is. I am drinking alcohol more regularly, eating more animal protein and exercising less. That is simple stuff. Along the way sometimes you lose the way or get cocky or whatever. In the end it is much easier to say "I got this now and I am never going back there." than it is to live that thought for real.

This morning, like it or not, I got up and rode my bike on the wind trainer and got in some time on the Concept II rowing machine. I would rather have slept in, but I have goals. If we get our permits for the Wonderland Trail I want to be more than 20 pounds lighter when we start than I am now and that is the end of July.

We have been accumulating ultralight backpacking gear so we can hike the Wonderland Trail in 7 days. The goal is to be under 35 pounds on the worst days. Since the bottom line is the overall weight, the less on my ass and belly is the less my knees need to bear over 93 miles and 22,000 feet of elevation gain. So, to be an ultralight backpacker I need to be as light as I can be without the pack as well.

To eat any diet that is different from what you are used to you need recipes that make you not miss what you were eating. This vegan month will be easier than our infamous raw food month for sure, but plenty of thought is still necessary.

My latest favorite is a Curried greens and chick peas with steamed Sweet Potato. Here is the recipe in a format you can cut and paste.

Curried Chick Peas and Greens With Steamed Sweet Potatoes.

2 cans Organic Garbanzo Beans
2 cans Organic Diced Tomatoes
6-8 Tsp Unsalted Curry Powder
1-1 1/2 lbs of Greens (I use organic Baby Kale but spinach or chard or a mixture of all 3 works too) Wilted and the Liquor (liquid from wilting the greens) reserved.
1 Large Onion Chopped
4-6 Cloves Garlic minced
1-3 cups Vegetable Stock
1-2 inches of Ginger Root minced
2- medium Sweet Potatoes chopped in 1/2 inch chunks and steamed for 10 minutes.
Coconut oil (or Olive oil)
Salt and pepper to taste


In a large pan (I use my Wok) add oil and wilt the greens. You want them to be just softened. This should net you a good amount of dark green cooking liquor. Move the greens to a glass or stainless bowl and cover to allow them to steam a little. Add more oil to the wok and soften the onions until just translucent - maybe 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger for a couple of stirs and then add the tomatoes and drained Garbanzo Beans. Pour the cooking liquor from the greens and enough vegetable stock to have a medium consistency. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes.

The sweet potatoes should be steamed for 10 minutes so they are still pretty firm. I use organics so I just wash and don't peel them. The greens need to be chopped finely - 1/4 inch squares.

Add the greens to the tomato mixture after 10 minutes along with the curry. Start with 6 tsps and taste before adding more. Only YOU know how much curry is enough. Salt and pepper to taste and then add the sweet potatoes for 1-2 minutes, but don't over stir and break them down.

Serve over steamed brown rice, quinoa, or noodles or just eat like a stew. This is about 4-8 servings depending on how you serve it.

If you don't like greens you could substitute broccoli and add more veggie stock.

This recipe is really good and you can even serve it over left over spaghetti Marinara if you have some around.

I plan on yapping some about dietary silliness I see along the way so you will all get that familiar Dog Walks Man feel back. Speaking of the dog, I wish I had Snorovision or something so I could share her current state of snoring away on the love seat.

Be very well and more soon....

D-W-M Swan Song

In case you missed it I have been almost only posting hike reports. I think that means it's time to bring Dog Walks Man to a full resolution. That means some summing up and some fessing up along with a little catching up.

What have I learned over the last 3 1/2 years? What is worth passing on to others? What can I still do better? That is what I hope to cover here.

What have I learned? First, there is no better thing I learned than there is a mind - body connection that colors everything else. To be right with others you need to get right with yourself. You need to find positivity inside yourself and you need to eliminate negative factors from your life. The good energy makes you well and the negative energy makes you ill. You can't fix the little stuff until you have a grip on the big stuff. We are all going to have bad days, but keeping the focus on positive thinking is key.

There are people who are used to you being who you were prior to deciding to be better that will get in the way of you getting where you want to go. It is hard to fully accept that, but it is true. They will have their own motives, but you will encounter them. If you are trying to get healthy and eat better some of your friends and even family will be there attempting sabotage. Be prepared for that. Maybe it is about disliking change or the inevitable pressure they will feel to do what you are doing if you succeed - I don't know, but it happens.

Second, If it isn't in the house you can't eat it. You may need to take over preparing your own food or doing the shopping if you don't already do it. If you are like me the wrong stuff gets eaten first. I was a sucker for ice cream and I still have trouble wanting pretzels and stuff after dinner. I do badly when I go to Trader Joe's. I call it my carb stop because they have some of my favorites.

When the carbs aren't around I snack on better stuff like nuts and veggies. It is really simple, but it works. Don't buy it and you won't eat it.

Third, It is easier to stay moving than it is to get moving. Keeping activity as routine as possible makes it easier to keep it up. That is why whatever you pick for activity has to be something you want to do. Don't run if you hate it. If you like walking then walk. If you hate the gym don't go. Design a program you can sign on to for the long term. If you like o bicycle and live in a tough winter place then either get a mountain bike or by a wind trainer to ride inside. So, do what you like, but DO IT.

Skinny is not the same as healthy. There are lots of thin people who are not healthy. Healthy requires you to have good nutrition, activity and attitude. That balance is key. None work without all of them.

I can do all three things better than I currently do. I constantly try to better my diet. I don't eat dairy, red meat or pork with the exception of a little cheese on pizza from time to time. I have cut down on bread and all things wheat quite a bit. I think an interesting test would be to go gluten free for a month to see how it affects me.

The stuff I learned that have been invaluable and that I will stick with include vegetable juicing, eating a lot of kale, and doing as much of your own cooking as possible. The juice gives you instant feedback and vitality that lasts through the day. Kale is this wonderful, life giving food that energizes you, and controlling your food supply by cooking it yourself makes it easy to do what you know is right.

The easiest stuff to avoid are the ones that everyone thinks they'll miss the most. Fried foods and other greasy foods are the first you lose your taste for if you cut them out. Super sweet stuff is the second easiest to avoid and the salty stuff - for me at least - is the hardest.

What I want everyone to know is that you can do whatever you need to do. The trick is to make it a need. If you need to drop some pounds to get healthy than do it. You know you can. Make simple decisions and choices. If French fries are your drug of choice cut them out entirely. Don't have "cheat days" included. Those are really slippery slope days where you can begin sliding back into your old ways. Don't put yourself in that place.

Local, organic food from your own garden is best followed by organic food straight from the farmer and then organic food from stores. You CAN eat that way. It WILL make you feel better.

I will create a hiking blog so you're not getting rid of me yet. I am easy to get a hold of if you have any questions and I am always happy to pass on whatever I can to aid others in their journey. This is a life pursuit - being healthy. It doesn't have a beginning and end date other than birth and death. Everything you have done is over and you can't change it. Today is what you need to focus on. Tomorrow will come when it comes and you can't do anything about it today.

Be very well and thanks for reading. Somehow this blog has had almost 17,000 page views.

Maybe The Biggest Lie Of All

I keep hearing that food grown with chemical fertilizers and herbicides sprayed on it - I can't talk myself into calling it conventionally grown - is just as nutritious as food grown without. That is crap. It is a complete impossibility.

An apple grown corporately has over 30 chemicals sprayed on it. An organic apple has no chemicals sprayed on it. Our digestive systems only have 2 reactions when we ingest something. It can recognize it as nutrition and work to break it down and utilize the nutrition or it recognizes it is a toxin and has a white cell reaction to protect the body from the toxin.

There is no middle ground. It doesn't say "Oh let me quickly separate the toxins and then I'll get to digesting the rest." It's an all or nothing process.

So when they tell you the stuff they sprayed with herbicides and pesticides and fungicides is just as healthy they are NOT telling you the truth.

The favorite chemical for the genetically modified crops is glyphosate (roundup). It works by blocking nutrition to the plants it is sprayed on which kills it by basically starving it. The modification allows a plant to grow even after being sprayed with glyphosate, but there is no peer reviewed science showing that the plant has the same nutrition as an organic or even just non-gmo plant.

There isn't a lot of science one way or another because the patent laws require the patent holder to approve research which they do not approve. They prefer you and I be the lab rats for their experiment.

Just say Yes on 522 and make sure your parents and aunt and uncles and grandparents know what the truth is.

Be very well and more soon....

Crystal Peak Was A Great Second Choice

Saturday we headed off to hike Norse Peak with a loop that took Trail 1161 through Goat Lake. We arrived at the trailhead to find signage that said the Goat Lake trail was "obliterated" by a slide and was impassable. We made a quick decision to head to Crystal Peak Trail which is just over 8 miles away since it was a beautiful day and we had yet to see the view from there in our 3 previous hikes there.

So we headed up the very well maintained Crystal Peak Trail and were very surprised to see a ton of perfectly ripe huckleberries. That slowed our pace quite a bit since we were all eating our way up the trail.

 

We finally got back to hiking - mostly because as we got higher the berries went away, but the view got outstanding.

 

 

We decided the right thing to do was to pick some berries to take home on the way down so we had a snack and a little break at the top. Garry noticed something a little too white over on a steep slope a peak away from us so I zoomed in as far as I could and took a couple of shots and sure enough it was a mountain goat.

 

 

 

We took the pictures you get to take when you haul your butt up a mountain and headed down to get some berries. By the time we were done picking we were the purple finger and tongue gang, but we had some great berries and a good bit of exercise as well.

 

 

Be very well and more soon...