Morning Walks....

Sebastian Inlet, FL  March, 2011

We have been taking walks every morning within the condominium complex. What a great way to start the day! The body moves, the mind slowly wakes up, all of the senses come alive. The sounds in the morning are wonderful. There are loads of birds here: herons, egrets, grackles and crows, sandhill cranes, woodpeckers, gulls and vultures. All of them with different calls; it makes wonderful morning music. As well, every person that you walk past says hello and/or waves. There is a great sense of friendliness and neighborliness here.  Last night we took a walk before we turned in. It was still and the stars were out by the millions; we heard bull frogs and an owl. The night time sounds are so different from the day. You can't see the critters making the noise, so a slight sense of unease runs up the back. Funny how that is.

I found out about an outstanding website today called Organic Consumers.org .  Anyone at all interested in the food that you eat ought to check this site out. They have a blog called Organic Bytes . I recommend reading this and subscribing to it. It was here that I found out that some Boca Burger Products contain genetically modified ingredients.  

"It's a fact that much of the high-quality soy grown in the U.S. has been genetically 

engineered, so the traditional BOCA line of soy-based products may contain 

ingredients derived from these crops." 

This is a quote from frequently asked questions on the Boca Products site.

What? Are you kidding me?  To call this a disappointment is an understatement. I am not clear how to tell which Boca products do or don't contain genetically modified ingredients, but you better believe I am going to scrutinize the labels from now on and may just stop buying them altogether. 

Another incredibly educational site that I found is called the Non -GMO Project .  You must take a look @ it to educate yourself and your loved ones. I just found out that the Pacific Brand Oat Milk and Almond Milk we have been drinking is safe and does not contain any genetically modified ingredients. 

We must be our own teachers and advocates. These websites will help you on the safe, delicious food journey if that is the path you are on.

Expect good things....

March Madness....

Vero Beach, FL   March, 2011

It feels like madness, living in the cold and dark for months at a time. Short days and long nights; many feet of snow shoveled over time; loads of firewood brought in with cold hands and chattering teeth. And then, suddenly, there will be a day when the wind stops, the light shifts and there is some hope in the air. Before the really big changes come however, we are fortunate enough to be able to get on a plane and head south.

Magically transported from one end of the country to another in the air, pick up the bag, register for the car and then it arrives. The moment I have been dreaming of for months. The electric eye sees us, the doors automatically open-sliding mysteriously across the floor in front of us and there it is....that first draft of soothing, warm, humid air upon my face. My shoulders relax, my eyes brighten and my mouth moves in silence, "Thank you, thank you." This is the first moment when I know I don't have to work so hard to get to the next part of the day. No scraping of windshields, shoveling of walks, bulky coats and big boots. The warmth is not just a weather report, however. The warmth has become a part of me. It is therapeutic and healing. It sinks into my skin. I am breathing it; it is as though I can see it.  The feeling is comfortable and natural, like meeting a long lost friend after a long absence. It feels like all is well with the world.

In fact, my life is the same as it was before I walked through that door. My job prospects, my bank account, my health, my child, my home....they are all the same. However, I have been given a bonus; I have been given the gift of travel. The ability to leave it all behind and not think too much about everything "back there" in my life. Lengthy casual conversations with my love, long leisurely walks, everything we do has no deadline....it is like a grown-up goodie bag.

I will put a plug in for a terrific book, Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. A wonderful tale of Steinbeck's trip around America in the 1960's. If you can't get away, this road-trip can be taken from your living room in front of a roaring fire with a cup of hot chocolate.


Expect good things.....