December 30, 2008

Going Natural with Osteoporosis Management

For a good part of the last year I have had a terrible metallic taste in my mouth, not all the time, but at what seems to be important times, with no chance to even stick a breath mint in my mouth. I have been trying to figure out what is different, was it the new night guard, a new food, a vitamin? Then, last month I noticed that my stomach hurt every week after I took my Fosamax and realized it has been hurting for a few months. I mentioned it to my doctor, and she put two and two together. So now I am going to stop taking the Fosamax for a few months and go on a natural program. That is going to require a lot more diligence on my part and eating foods that are normally on my "yuck" list. But hey, if it keeps my bones healthy without these side effects, I think I can muster enough self control to do it.

When I was first diagnosed, the doctor gave me a list of do’s and don’ts. The do’s to build bone and the don’ts to keep from losing calcium. The do's were mainly exercise, walk, jog, or tennis for 30 minutes every day. One of my knees sounds like there is a handful of gravel grinding together every time I climb stairs so I will admit I've been lax on the exercise part of the regimen. But I did call a local tennis organization to see if they have anything for the older set, and am waiting on a call back from them. And I can walk, it's just not much fun walking alone or on a treadmill.

There were actually more don’ts than do’s. Along with cutting caffeine and limiting fat, one don’t was limiting red meats because of the protein, but no more explanation than that. Since then I have learned the reason for limiting protein. Basically, a high protein diet makes the body more acidic and the body compensates by pulling calcium and other alkaline minerals from the bones, flushing them through the kidneys which often results in kidney stones.

However, “plant-based proteins, like that found in soy, lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL (the good) cholesterol. This prevents the build up of arterial plaque which leads to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease, thus reducing the risk heart attack and stroke. The amount and type of protein in your diet also has an important impact on calcium absorption and excretion. Vegetable-protein diets enhance calcium retention in the body and results in less excretion of calcium in the urine. This reduces the risk of osteoporosis and kidney problems.” – from Feminist Women’s Heath Center. WebMD holds the opposite view, that a high protein diet, either meat or plant-based will raise calcium levels and reverse osteoporosis. The meat-based proponents are a minority however.

My doctor’s solution was to put me on Fosamax and calcium supplements, and assured me Fosamax was safe in spite of the pending lawsuits over jaw deterioration. Taking calcium supplements does not seem to be the only answer, as most websites agree that too much calcium is worse than not enough. Too much calcium and Vitamin D can be toxic and usually comes from supplements rather than from foods. As important as calcium intake is, the key is getting enough magnesium to absorb the needed amount of calcium. From Well Being Journal:

Despite all the calcium hype, ... in general people who consume about half as much as the RDA’s of 1,000 and 1,200 for adults actually have fewer bone fractures and better health than those who follow the RDA, and that high calcium consumption may actually interfere with calcium absorption, result in weaker bones, and cause calcium to be deposited where it is not wanted.

This unwanted calcium results in muscle spasms and bone spurs, both of which I have also developed in the last two years since starting Fosamax and increasing my calcium supplements to 1200mg per day.

And this from Nutrition ATC.

Excessively high calcium intake over time may lead to kidney problems. Kidney stones are associated with both low and high calcium intake. Very high intake can cause kidney failure. Too much calcium can interfere with the absorption of minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium.

Also, supplements in the form of calcium carbonate can neutralize stomach acids which, in turn, can impair the absorption of vitamin B-12 from natural food sources.

Another website which cites many of the same concerns but is concise and easy to read is Natural Calm. However, it is promoting a product so let the reader beware.

An article on The University of Washington website shows that not all calcium supplements are absorbed equally and their conclusion, along with mine is that if a supplement is taken, a chewable is the best choice. After taking a calcium tablet for the last two years, I am now wondering how much, if any, was absorbed. From Helpguide.org, calcium citrate is preferable to calcium carbonate because it doesn’t cause as much acidity, and any kind should be taken in doses of 500mg throughout the day because that is all the body can absorb at one time. The optimum time for taking calcium citrate is at bedtime also, because most bone loss occurs at night. This website goes on to say that a Vitamin D deficiency accelerates bone loss, so even taking 1200mg of calcium a day is useless if there is no Vitamin D also. After reading these additional sources, and assuming they are correct, I have been wasting at least 700mg of calcium per day because I took my supplements at once, first thing in the morning.

So instead of relying on supplements alone to correct my calcium, Vitamin D, and magnesium deficiencies, I am going to supply it mainly the way God intended, with food. Then the body can deal with it better.

As Dr. McDougal says, “The only way to have more calcium entering the body than is leaving it is to eat foods low in protein content (especially those low in animal proteins).” He cites nations of the world with high rates of osteoporosis are the nations with rich diets. I thought his opinion of osteoporosis was interesting:
Approximately 65% of women over 40 years-old living in Western cultures are told they have "diseased bones" (osteoporosis and osteopenia) and are in need of drugs. Of course, this is not true, but it is a great way to sell medications and tests. Naturally, with the demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding, women require large stores of calcium in their bones. After menopause there is no need for these large deposits of calcium and the bones appear less dense upon testing (BMD) – this is normal, not sickness. There are a few women who do have seriously diseased bones, but drug therapy provides minimal benefits with the potential for very serious side effects.

Dr. McDougall does not agree with BMD test results and thinks that the bone-building drugs actually make bones brittle and more susceptible to fracture, and he is not alone in that opinion. One of the reasons I am not upset about stopping Fosamax are the many lawsuits.

Dr. McDougall promotes the vegan diet, and I could do that if it weren’t for the Hubster. I tried it several years ago when a lot of my friends were (and are) eating that way. However, Hubby put his foot down and flatly refused to eat brown rice or to stop eating meat. I’ll admit brown rice takes some getting used to, and it helps if it is smothered with something yummy like a bean and tomato sauce.

Before I close, just a little osteoporosis trivia. Did you know that short, thin, white women are the group of women most likely to get osteoporosis? I’m short and white, but certainly not thin, how is that fair? Did you know that the Alaskan Eskimo is the group of people by location most likely to get osteoporsis? Did you know that remote cultures who eat mostly whole grains and a little fish are least likely to get osteoporosis? Ok, that one is logical.

Foods rich in calcium- the major component of bones
*Milk
Milk pudding
Yogurt
Swiss cheese: 1oz = 250-270 mg
Parmesan cheese:
(both swiss and parmesan need to be eaten with foods high in potassium to counteract the sodium)
Raw hazelnuts
Dry carob powder
Brewers yeast
Raw almonds
Garbanzo beans aka chick peas
Tofu
Sardines
Salmon
Turnips
Spinach
Broccoli
Kale
Fortified orange juice

Foods high in potassium:
Raisins
Bananas
Dried apricots
Figs
Peaches
Raw sunflower seeds

Foods containing magnesium:
Dry raw wheat germ and bran
Natural raw almonds
Cashews
Raw Brazil nuts
Raw peanuts
Lima beans
Rolled oats
Pecans
Walnuts
Lentils

B complex foods:
Bran
Green vegetables
Peanuts
Egg yolks
Whole grains

Foods containing B5 – pantothenic acid:
Peas
Beans

Foods containing B6 – pyridoxine which is destroyed by cooking
Bananas
Avacados
Walnuts
Cantaloupe
Cabbage
Peppers
Carrots
Pecans

Herbs that contain both calcium and magnesium:
Dandelion
Red raspberry leaves
Kelp
Alfalfa

Foods rich in Vitamin D – which allows calcium to leave the intestines so it can be absorbed by bones
Salmon
Tuna
Herring
Halibut
Fortified milk
Egg yolks
Liver
Fish oils
Mackerel
AND DON'T FORGET NATURAL SUNLIGHT

Foods to avoid – interferes with calcium
Excessive protein – causes calcium loss from bones
Sodium – ditto
Caffeine – ditto
*Spinach – bind calcium and make it unavailable
*Rhubarb – ditto
*Chard – ditto
*Almonds – ditto
*Pinto beans – blocks calcium, but soaking several hours, rinsing & cook in new water helps neutralize
*Navy beans – ditto
^Peas – ditto

------------
* = National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends eating one hour before or two hours after calcium rich foods

Marti

December 29, 2008

Looking Forward to 2009

The holidays usually leave me drained, but this year I am actually excited about starting the new year. We had a nice Christmas. The girls came in from school and my mom and Hubby's parents drove down together, taking turns on the driving, and only getting lost once in Fort Worth. If you've ever driven in on I35W and have to get over to the Hwy 287 exit in rush hour, you know how easy it is to be in the wrong lane at the wrong time and end up going the wrong direction. When they left to go home, Hubby drove their van and I followed in his car and we drove them to Rhome so they could miss all the Fort Worth traffic, although Saturday morning traffic was light.

On Christmas Day we went to Brother Bear's house for lunch, and Lil, Hubby and I went to the range for some practice shooting. Hubby had a new gun he wanted us to try but I still prefer my little revolver.

Hubby and I sat down today and went over our goals for the coming year. These are really my goals for the most part, but some of them can't be done without it being a team effort, so I am including both mine and ours here. I also got my company sales taxes filed today, so I can start the year fresh.

Health Goals
Diet
Eliminate (Hubby says cut down on) desserts
Eliminate sodas
Eliminate fried foods
Add more vegetables
Add more fruits
Prepare rounded meals
Eat lighter dinner
Exercise
Walk daily 30 minutes
Bicycle daily 30 minutes
Exercises for the back daily
Look into tennis or golf

Financial Goals
Put 15% of Hubby's salary toward mortgage payoff
Hold off house addition until mortgage paid and economy is stable
Bump emergency fund
Add identity theft insurance
No eating out (Hubby says Less eating out)
Cook from scratch
Get part time job to speed mortgage payoff
Keep better budget accounting

Personal Goals
Clear the clutter
Have a place for everything
Clean out garage and office
Move office to den and closet
Finish projects in garage
Use up fabric stash
Keep the house clean (There has to be one impossible goal)
Get more sleep
Find a church home and not just a place to go

Build Habits
Put up everything after using
Make copies of paper records that are sent anywhere
Deal with mail immediately
Write down money spent every day

Some of these overlap categories, especially in the finance and health areas. Funny how the unhealthy food is also the most expensive in the budget.

Until next time, may you have blessings and achievement,
Marti

December 17, 2008

Life Without a Purse?

I don't see how men manage without a purse. Actually, I did see a man with a purse the other day but I figured his wife must have been around somewhere. On the few occasions I go somewhere with Hubby and leave my purse behind, I always need something. But the chiropractor told me to lighten my load and get rid of the weight on my shoulder. He's had me wearing a lift in my left shoe for a month and my spine is still misaligned.

I just weighed my purse and it weighs in at 5.5 pounds. In it I have my wallet with loaded coin purse (maybe that's why most men dump their coins every night), folding money, cards, and checkbook; pen; calculator; some kind of little broken part I need to replace; house keys; car keys; sunglasses; pepper spray and other heavy item for protection; cell phone; multicompartment pillbox; kleenex; handlotion (actually 2 tubes of handlotion because one is almost empty); lipstick; sunscreen lip balm; little tape measure; dental floss; earplugs; sunvisor; tire air pressure gauge (why, I have no idea); nail clippers; nail file; several packages of hand sanitizer wipes; shout wipes; folding scissors; hair brush; notebook; and camera.

Gee, no wonder my back hurts. I can see leaving most of this junk in the car and not lugging it around with me everywhere, but when I start thinking of the absolute minimum I need to carry, it gets longer and longer. And it's easier to leave such things as lipstick in the car in winter and quite another in summer when it would melt, and it doesn't do any good to leave a hairbrush in the car when the purpose is to fix hair that wind messed up.

I'd like to know how other women manage without a purse.

Marti

December 16, 2008

So This is the Dining Room

Before:



After:



Actually, this is the living room, but we have been using it as the dining room because we have no dining room after we enlarged the kitchen. Someday we still hope to add on a real dining room. It seems like this project has taken years, and Hubby and I can't remember the exact date I ripped out the carpet.




Since taking out the carpet, we moved the exterior door beside the fireplace, put another door from the dining room into the kitchen - in front of the new back door, put a window in place of the old back/side door, and put wood flooring in the dining room and hall.

Before installing the flooring, I cleaned the hearth. I had cleaned it when we moved in without much success, but this time I pulled out the big guns.





The reason for all this work was because of the way our Moe built the patio and this side door. The door faces north with no porch over it, and the patio in front of the door is about six inches lower than the nearby driveway. It also doesn't help that our lot is about two feet lower than the lot north of us, and it in turn is about two feet lower than the lot north of it. The result is that this patio became a wading pool with each rain and no amount of weatherstripping around the door could keep out the water.

Since the doors have been changed, we have had a good rain and for the first time in years, we stayed completely dry in the house. Adding a dry stream by the patio will keep the water from becoming a wading pool when it rains.

Having finished rooms is great, but having a finished floor is awesome. No matter how often they are swept or mopped, concrete floors are just gritty. And our floors were worse because the original painters had spilled paint on the floor, and we had taken up tile and the gritty thinset was impossible to completely remove, or at least it was for us. The best part is having the carpet at the bedroom doors tucked in evenly across the doorway. When I ripped out the carpet, I cut at least four extra inches of jagged carpet so there would be plenty to curl around a tack bar.



Draw leaf inlaid table, $150 at auction. Ten parsons chairs $2.50 each at auction. Yes, that's right, two dollars and fifty cents each. They needed to be reupholstered but as messy as teenagers are, I thought I'd wait until they were grown. Now I'm not sure if I even want to keep them. While it was really handy to have a big table when groups of hungry teenagers come over, it's a little big for us now.

I get up every morning surprised and pleased all over again that we are actually living like normal, civilized people. Ahhhhhh. It's amazing how living in an unfinished house can wear on your nerves.

Until next time, may you have blessings and clean socks,
Marti

December 07, 2008

We Built a New Garage



We built the garage in 2003. We hired a guy from our church to do the framing and dry in the garage. In retrospect, that wasn't a good idea. He had done jobs for other people we knew and they were pleased. After the slab was poured, the lumber was delivered, but he didn't show up. Hubby, being the impatient sort, started framing the walls himself, and we had three up before the framer and his helper arrived. They quickly had the fourth wall up and started on the roof. When Hubby got home from work that day, he saw that the trusses weren't set evenly. Evidently the helper didn't know how to measure and on his side of the garage, the trusses were anywhere from four to six inches off the mark. So Hubby spent the evening moving those trusses, and the next morning he pointed it out to the framer and the rest of the trusses went up without incident and moved on to the plywood sheathing and decking. And then we didn't see them for almost a week. After a day or two, Hubby called and the framer said he got called back to another job but would be out the next day. The next day, no framer. Finally Hubby and I started roofing and on the evening of the fourth day, the framer and helper finally came and helped us finish the roofing.



The next three days they only came in the late afternoon and they began putting up the hardiplank siding. The doors and window probably made it slower but they only got one side done, and then we didn't see them again for a week. During that week, Hubby and I worked on the siding on the back and both gables in the evenings. And then it rained. After the rain, the plywood on the last side was warped and wavy. Still no framer and he wasn't returning phone calls. Hubby spent a day repairing plywood and then we finished the siding. When we finally heard from the contractor, we paid him for the work he had done and told him we didn't need him anymore. He never offered to replace the warped plywood or even acknowledge that it was warped.

We bought the insulation and sheetrock through a contractor. I insulated the garage and then the contractor's guys came out to put up the sheetrock. They were amazing, each one could lift those twelve foot sheets over their head and with one hand screw them in place.

After the drywall crew finished the walls and texture, Hubby sprayed the paint and we were ready for doors, trim, cabinets, and plumbing. We put a full bathroom in the garage both for convenience and to keep from tracking so much dirt into the house. We also thought it would be convenient if we ever had to turn the garage into an apartment for one of our parents. We put in a short counter and kitchen sink at the back of the garage for that reason also, and to make it easier for Hubby to clean fish and game.



Until next time, may you have blessings and easy building,
Marti

December 05, 2008

I Turned Around and My Baby Grew Up

Wasn't it just yesterday that she was four years old and insisting to wear an Indian headband everywhere we went, or six years old and climbing to the top of the play fort? Not just climbing the ladder into the fort but climbing to the very top rail of the tent roof. I tried not to act terrified when I told her calmly to come down. She looked at me and laughed.

We used to laugh at the way she mispronounced breakfast when she was little. For the first few years she pronounced it bre-fakst, and when she started spelling, it was just as bad. She hated reading and writing and would do almost anything to avoid it. But she was a whiz at math and no one ever noticed any real problems. It wasn't until she was a freshman in high school that we began to suspect she might have dyslexia, but when we talked about getting her tested so she could get help, she refused because she didn't want it on her school record.

She was so competitive, she forced herself to keep up in honors classes, even though it took her twice as long to read the material and sometimes couldn't finish the tests. But she never gave in or gave up, and managed to graduate in the top ten percent of her class.

Now she is a senior in college. The classes are hard, the reading still takes her twice as long as everyone else, and she still doesn't finish every test, but she has been on Dean's List every semester. This is the time of year that engineering students interview for jobs, sometimes an interview will last all day and she has to give a presentation over a project she has done. She loves being recruited, even though it takes more of her time. Her Thanksgiving was spent working on a project in the car as we drove to Grandmas and back.

She had an all day interview again today with a company, and they paid for her travel and hotel. My mother's heart worried about her staying alone in a hotel and driving into a strange city at night, but she wanted to do it alone.

She stopped by on the way home this afternoon to spend time with me even though she has a paper due and finals coming up. After a few hours, she left to go back to college, which she now calls home, because she has meetings tomorrow. That stubborn, wonderful child has grown up. I've been mothering for twenty-six years. What am I now?

Until next time, may you have blessings and joy in your children,
Marti

Doctors Offices Drive Me Nuts!

Some weeks ago I got up one morning with a stiff ankle. Every day it was worse than before until finally I could barely walk and decided to go to the doctor. Since I also needed some lab work done, I decided to go my family doctor and get everything done at the same time. This is the same office that once forgot about me completely and left me sitting in the waiting room for an hour before I could get their attention.

So on this day, I went in the door and was relieved to see that the waiting room was empty. I hobbled up to the admittance window and tapped on the frosted glass. After a few minutes I tapped again and someone opened the window and said no one was at that desk and asked me to go to another window in an adjoining office. So I hobbled over to the other window and tapped on the glass there.

While I stood waiting, a young man walked in the front door and knocked on the first window. The same woman opened it and told him to sign in at the window where I was now standing. As he walked up, I knocked again and he stood behind me.

While we stood waiting, an older couple walked in the front door, he hobbling worse than me and leaning on his wife for support. They walked up to the first window and in turn were directed to the second window. As they approached, I told them I had already knocked twice. Then the same woman who had opened the first window finally opened this second window and told us to go back to the first window. Can't you check us in here the older woman asked? No, this computer has been turned off.

So I led the line back to the first window, hobbling as fast as I could. There, the same woman opened the window again and asked for my name. She couldn't find my name in the appointment list. I told her when I called and who I talked to. She told me to sit down and she would find it and I sat in a chair directly across from the window so they couldn't forget me again. Meanwhile, everyone else was called into the office and I waited. Finally, I got up and hobbled over to the window, tapped on it, and when the girl came to the window I asked if she had found my appointment. Oops, she had forgotten to look, but she would do that now if I would have a seat. So I hobbled back to my chair and had just settled in when she called my name.

Once called, I saw the doctor and was in and out quickly. A few days later the office called with the results of my lab culture and I asked if they would send me a copy of it. Sure, she said, we can fax it to you, but you need to come in and sign a release for it. Why bother faxing it if I have to come in anyway? So I told her I could come by the next time I was out that way. That day was today, and guess what? They couldn't find it.

Now I like the doctors at this office, but the staff has a lot to be desired. It was the same with the last group of doctors I had gone to, only with them, it was never billing correctly. I guess it's time to find a new doctor but I wonder what the odds are of finding a good doctor with a good staff.

Until next time, may you have blessings and no need for doctors,
Marti

December 03, 2008

Menopause

I have decided that menopause is Mother Nature's way of putting her thumbs in her ears and waggling her fingers while sticking out her tongue and taunting: "What was that about growing old gracefully?"

Marti

December 01, 2008

It's Not Ratatouille

Ben, maybe, or Willard. Every fall we see a few mice, but this is the first year we have seen rats, and not just a couple. Unlike mice, these have been found outside only. With the help of the Victor power kill rat trap, we have filled a small rat cemetery. We haven't caught any in a couple of weeks and I thought the fall rush was over. Not so.

Today, I heard a thud as something hit the front door and then the doorbell rang. I got to the door in time to see the UPS man sprinting back to his truck. Since this is his usual MO, I didn't think too much about it until I opened the door to get the package he dropped on the porch, and I do mean dropped. That's when I saw the rat, a dead white rat, sprawled across the sidewalk.

This is our first white rat, the others have been the usual brownish color. I don't know if this was someone's pet or how it became dead on my front walk, but I do understand the UPS man's desire to get back in his truck.

Until next time, may you have blessings and be vermin free,
Marti

November 10, 2008

We Said Goodby To Our Best Friend Today

(This is Roxie as a puppy with her mother, Mandy.)

I am so happy Roxie had a good day yesterday, because today was bad. We think she had a couple of strokes before Hubby could get her to the vet's office. The vet and his staff were so kind to Hubby, and the vet teared up with Hubby as they said their last goodbyes.

Until next time, may you have blessings and furry friends,
Marti

November 08, 2008

I'm Already Dreading the Holidays

Thursday, Hubby told me his parents were coming for Thanksgiving; he and his brother had discussed it with their parents when they went elk hunting last month. As I looked around my gutted dining room and the debris dump at the end of the kitchen, I thought about grabbing the nearest gallon of paint and throwing it at him. Then he said his parents said they thought they could manage the drive to Denton (where his brother lives). I breathed a sigh of relief and Hubby walked off, not knowing how close he had come to having his head splattered with paint.

Later that night, I called my in-laws to thank them for the birthday present I had gotten in the mail. After a bit of small talk I told Mother-in-law that Hubby told me they were coming to Brother-in-law's house for Thanksgiving and found out they were planning on coming to stay with us too. I told her our house wasn't fit for company, with the work being done in the living dining room, window boarded up, gaping hole in the wall to the kitchen, and all the stuff piled into the living room. Oh that's ok, she said, we don't mind. But we only have two chairs to sit in and no table right now, plus Brownie took one of the beds when she moved into her apartment so we don't even have enough beds. That's ok, she repeated.

My mother-in-law is a kind, loving woman but she does get her feelings hurt easily so I couldn't just say I didn't want them to come. It's not that I don't want to see them, it's just hard for me to want to be here, I certainly don't want to entertain right now. I'm not even going to try to cook a full meal that we all have to stand up to eat. So I called my mother who lives in the same town as my in-laws. Brownie had already told her the other grandparents were coming, and mom was wondering why we hadn't invited her, but bless her heart, she wasn't mad about it. Then I told her I had just learned of it myself and the reasons I didn't really want company right now. She was relieved because she couldn't find anyone to board her dog, but didn't have any advice how to get the in-laws to change their mind about coming.

When I confronted Hubby with inviting his parents here for Thanksgiving, he said he didn't really invite them, they just said they wanted to come, and besides he thought we could get the work finished by Thanksgiving. This was Friday before he left for a weekend of deer hunting. I don't know when he expects to get this done when he is too tired to do anything on weekdays after work and then goes off hunting for the weekend.

Today I called my sister-in-law and found that she doesn't want them to come either. She is in the middle of remodeling her bedroom, scraping that popcorn junk off the ceiling, and making comforters and curtains, and she doesn't have enough beds either unless someone sleeps on the living room sofa bed. Her daughter and son-in-law are coming and bringing their two hyperactive Alaskan huskies. My sister-in-law said that when those two dogs get together with her German shorthair, they jump all over the furniture and everyone in the room. Fun.

So now I have to lower the boom on Hubby to uninvite his parents without hurting their feelings. We might be able to get this house presentable by Christmas, but not in three short weeks. Wish me luck.

Until next time, may you have blessings and help for the holidays,
Marti

P.S.
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes everyone. Hubby called his brother and parents and all agreed that Thanksgiving wasn't going to work out. Unfortunately, his parents' reason is because my mother-in-law isn't feeling well. I hope it's just a simple matter of just getting her blood pressure medication adjusted.

November 07, 2008

Just a Quick Update on Roxie

Because one cyst has opened and she won't leave it alone, we took her to the vet today, fully expecting to be told this was the end. But the vet said she wasn't showing signs of pain and we could expect her to have two more weeks of quality life. So we brought her home to spoil rotten for as long as we can. She even got to eat a little chocolate flavored dog treat on the way home. Still, it's hard to think that now we are waiting for the end.

Until next time, may you have blessings and chocolate,
Marti

My ordindary life, Gordon Setter

November 04, 2008

My Dog Can Tell Time

7:00 is dinner time and we'd better not forget it. But this time change has really messed her up. She starts getting excited about 5:45 and is absolutely frantic by 6:15. She starts with "the dance" which kind of like running in place, except she doesn't stay in one place and will eventually dance off the edge of the deck if we are outside at that time. (Don't worry, it's only a six inch drop.) And if we are inside and don't feed her when she thinks it is time, she will come over and "talk" to us with a series of "roh, roh, rohs, and the longer we wait, the more insistent she will talk and earnestly look at us. If we ignore her and continue typing on the computer or watching tv, she will come over and nudge our hand with her cold, wet nose, then go around to the other hand and do the same.

Finally we say the magic words: "It's 7:00," and she rushes to her bowl and waits for food. Her typical food is Beneful Healthy Weight dog food. She doesn't really like this dog food so we put half of a package of Moist and Meaty Burger with Cheddar Cheese on top of the other dog food. She LOVES that dog food and will eat it and then continue eating the healthy dog food. The Hubster likes to tease her by putting the healthy dog food in her bowl and then walking away. Roxie sniffs the food, sniffs her water bowl, and then walks over to the drawer where we keep the Moist and Meaty, and she stands there until he gives in and gets that dog food out. When she hears the crinkling of the package being opened, she starts dancing her way back to the food bowl.

Because of Roxie, 5:00 is now called 7:00 at our house. But Roxie didn't like 7:00 tonight because I bought chicken flavored Moist and Meaty and she didn't want to eat it. She likes it even less than the Beneful Healthy Weight dog food, and carefully ate the Beneful out from under it, or as much as she could eat without touching the chicken M&M. So after an an evening meeting, we stopped to get her Burger and Cheese M&M and then raked off the chicken stuff so she could have her dinner.

I tell ya, the things we do for our furry children.

Until next time, may you have blessings and a furry head on your knee,
Marti

November 03, 2008

Yep, Just About Sums It Up



Until next time, may you have blessings and voter registration,
Marti

Bad News


Roxie's tumors are multiplying. Just the thought of the decision we have coming makes me cry. For those who have forgotten, Roxie is our Gordon Setter.

Until next time, may you have blessings and doggy kisses,
Marti

November 02, 2008

Stand Up, Sit Down, Clap, Clap, Clap!

We visited a new church this morning, a Southern Baptist Church. It's been a long time since we've attended a Baptist Church, so I don't know if this is normal or not. When we walked in, a youth group dressed in black was before the congregation. There was a song playing and the group was doing sign language to the words of the song, and they were doing aerobics with it. It was either a really long song or they had it on a loop so it would play over again until everyone was seated. When we first got there, the young people were fairly energetic, but they looked ready to drop long before the music ended, some of them were still jumping, but most just bending their knees so it looked like they were jumping. It reminded me of Jr. High calisthenics where we would jump and clap our hands over our hands for the first several jumping-jacks, but barely hopping and raising our hands for the 50th one.

Then the part I remembered about big Baptist churches. They all follow a similar routine. The song leader/choir director asks the congregation to stand to sing a song. Then sit while the choir sings a song by themselves. Then stand for the next song or two. Then sit while someone sings a solo. Then stand for a scripture reading and prayer. Then sit for the next song. And that reminds me of a game we played when we were at camp, something that involved stand up, sit down, clap, clap, clap!

I don't think this is the church for us, and not because of the aerobics or all the standing and sitting. The pastor seemed to be reading the sermon for the most part. We have been hungering for the Word too long to be fed by someone who is just going through the motions. He also seemed to give opposing opinions in his sermon. I remembered reading Debi's blog Life the Journey about a pastor-in-a-box who used internet sermons, so I looked up the key verse online and found that he got the gist of his sermon at sermoncentral.com, which explained why it seemed like he was reading an unfamiliar paper; in essence, he was. He quoted parts of it word for word. The topic was Saul and the Witch of Endor. Theologians have had differing opinions about the text for hundreds of years, and this preacher presented the answer in two simple sentences? I guess it's common to buy or use pre-written sermons these days, and he didn't use ALL of it, just parts of it. Still, I'm disappointed.

And he did the modern parable thing which was also one of the few times he showed any emotion during the sermon. He told a story of a young man who was a diver on the swim team and who just so happened to have a key to the pool. Late one night when he couldn't sleep he went to the pool; it was such a bright moonlit night that he didn't have to turn the lights on. He was going to do a back flip into the pool and when he raised his hands he saw his shadow on the wall, and it was the shadow of the cross. He went down to his knees and prayed for salvation and just then someone came into the pool area, turned the lights on and revealed that the pool was empty and his prayer had saved him from death. Sound familiar? It did to me; I think I got it a few hundred times in emails. Check it out on snopes.com. At least he didn't tell it as if he personally knew the young man.

Another thing, and I'm probably just being picky, is that no one talked to us until the song leader told the congregation to take a moment to "greet your neighbors", and then they just said hello, shook our hands and moved on to the next person. I don't want people to come shake my hand because they've been told to do it, I want people to welcome me because they want to. When we first got into the auditorium, there were only scattered seats and a church member with a name tag asked some people to move down the row and make room for us. Hubby motioned me to go in first and I sat next to a man who never looked at me until he shook my hand, and he never looked at me again. At the end of the service, they did that thing where they played a song and asked everyone to join hands, and I had to hold that man's hand. I guess I didn't have to, but I didn't want to be rude. Anyway, he didn't wait until the song ended to free his hand and turn his back on me, which is a bit hard to do when you are standing next to someone.

I miss our old church where people didn't have to be told to be friendly, and the pastor preached from his heart. I left this church feeling sad, lonely, and with deep, nagging, spiritual questions.

Until next time, may you have blessings and fellowship,
Marti

October 27, 2008

Another Look at Sarah Palin and the Election

I've been watching all the media hoopla and have seen interviews with Sarah Palin and of course the vice-presidential debate. At first I thought she came off as a good choice; she is a good speaker and has a good track record. Then I was swayed by the media and thought she was a totally clueless bimbo who didn't have what it takes to be a president if John McCain died in office.

But lately, I've been thinking about the interviews, the clips that are continuously played for us, and I don't think she's been given a fair shake. Take the interviews with Katie Couric and Charles Gibson. Unless she was given a list of the questions they asked beforehand, and it's quite obvious she wasn't, they already had the advantage. And I wonder if either Couric or Gibson would have known the answers to some of their own questions if they (or someone on their staff) had not researched them and had the answers. And why aren't they asking Obama these sneaky questions?

When Couric asked Palin what magazines she read, I do wish Palin had been honest and said she was traveling all over America memorizing speeches, meeting people, and didn't have time to read magazines; but that she had people who read them and briefed her on the important issues. Instead, she went into politicalease nonsense and looked ill-prepared and unqualified. And as far as the Bush Doctrine question Gibson asked her, I imagine the majority of average Americans had no idea what he was talking about either. She just made it worse by trying to talk around it. It was obvious that Gibson was trying to make her look bad and I'm disappointed in that. I used to respect him. After doing a little research, I have found that there isn't just one Bush Doctrine.

Another thing that was brought up is that she was for the bridge to nowhere when she was campaigning for governor, but when she found that most people were against it, she changed her tune and campaigned vigorously against it. Maybe I'm just an insignificant little housewife, but it seems to me that that is exactly what we want our leaders to do - listen to us and then push for our demands.

I think Palin's biggest handicap is talking too much. She does beat around the bush quite a bit, but then, so does Obama. He just does it in such an intense way that he comes across as believable. She is more like those high school girls who don't know the answer to an essay question, so they write two pages of nothing in their gigantic cursive loops hoping they might accidently hit on the answer.

And that brings up another thought. It seems to be an election between Obama and Palin instead of Obama and McCain. No one can deny that McCain is qualified for the job, and there isn't enough dirt on him to make good copy, so the media wants the public to decide between Obama and Palin.

Poor Joe Biden is getting left out of the spotlight altogether. He got more media attention after being introduced as John McCain than for anything else. Joe the Plumber has gotten more media time, and look what the media did to that poor guy. He may have to work at McDonald's after his 15 minutes of fame.

Joe Biden is probably more qualified to be president than Barack Obama, he just doesn't have Obama's charisma. Unfortunately, McCain also lacks charisma, which is probably one of the reasons he chose Palin as his running mate. It's too bad McCain didn't pick Biden as his running mate. Their campaign would be as boring as warm milk, but both solid and competent.

We are continually told that McCain's age is his biggest handicap. He is 72 years old, and has had a couple of skin lesions diagnosed as melanoma which were removed and have not recurred. Not enough reason to think he is going to drop dead during his term. Ronald Reagan was 69 when he first took office and 73 for his second term and I don't recall that his age was such a big issue.

No matter what policy changes a candidate has in his platform, he still has to get them passed through both House and Senate before they become law, so it is unlikely that anything extreme will get through. Because of that, I'm trying not to focus on the things the candidate wants to change, but on what kind of decisions the candidate will make in a crisis. Obama seems to be cool under pressure, and hopefully will surround himself with good advisers. McCain is already experienced in war and a depressed economy, and hopefully will have learned from that as well as selecting good advisers.

Morally, I don't like either McCain or Obama. So the question for me is do I go with experience or charisma? Or does it even matter?

Until next time, may you have blessings and discernment,
Marti

October 16, 2008

The Standoff

I love fall, the cool mornings and evenings and that crisp smell in the air. Today was one of those cool, crisp mornings when I felt the need to be outside doing something. Or at least I did until I actually stepped outside. I had already decided that today was the day to start walking and cycling again, so I shrugged off the chill, snapped on my pedometer, and started out. That's when I remembered that I had stopped walking here because of roving dogs from the next street.

So I thought, no big deal, I'll just skip walking and ride my bike longer to make up for it. After I aired up the tires, I hopped on and started down the street. Something was terribly wrong with the bike. I think Hubby must have tightened the chain or something. I could hardly push the pedals in 3rd gear. Surely it couldn't be that my flabby legs just couldn't move the pedals. No, I'll blame it on the Hubster. I geared down to 1st, and the pedals turned, but I could have walked faster. I got around the corner and here came the dogs. I bumped it up to 2nd gear but the dogs were still faster. I pulled out my pepper spray, checked the wind direction - no wind, and stopped to face them.

I think that confused them because they stopped too; they probably aren't used to their prey stopping for a confrontation. So I stood there, holding my arm out and straddling my bike, realizing I was going down if they jumped on me. I yelled all the key words I had ever heard for dogs, "Down", "Off", "Back", "Home", and some I made up on the spot. Obviously, these dogs had never been trained, at least not in English. German, maybe. I don't know any German. I tried to remember any episodes of Hogan's Heroes and all I could think of is "I know nothing!"

Now the standoff was getting a little strained. They were too far for my spray to reach them, and the wind was beginning to blow - in my direction. Do I back up, bike and all, or do I try to go forward and intimidate them? Since the pedals were behind my feet, keeping me from taking a step backward, forward it was. Little tiny tiptoe steps since that is all I could manage while straddling the bike. Blasted bike. My desire to be out in the crisp, fall weather had definitely waned. I started to hate fall. I was cold now that the wind was cutting through my knit shirt. I realized I hate exercise and would rather be fat and unhealthy. The dogs don't care. They were warm and furry, and now curious to see why I was inching toward them.

Finally, I was within spray distance and the wind had momentarily died down. I aimed. I fired. Nothing. Nada. I was three feet from the beasts and my sprayer was dead. They were walking toward me then. My last attempt was to wave my arms in the air and yell menacingly. They backed off and I felt victorious, until I looked around and saw a car behind me.

Great. Now I'm the neighborhood lunatic.

Until next time, may you have blessings and working pepper spray,
Marti

October 12, 2008

Make a Cheap Picture Frame with Raised Design

 
I have been looking for a flat picture frame so I can put a design on it, but haven't been able to find one, and wondered if I could make one.

I wanted to start this Friday night so I would have the weekend to work on it, but since I don't know how to change the blades on the table saw I had to wait on Hubby to help, and he didn't want to help me until last night. Actually, I was the helper, at least with most of the cutting on the table saw.

I bought a 1"x3"x8' poplar board at Lowes for $8.41. I was only making an 8x10 frame, so the 8' board should have had a little over 3' left over, but we used the excess getting the dado and edge blade set up right..



I wanted to dado the inner edge first, but Hubby thought it would be easier to work with if it was already cut into the right pieces. It wasn't. It's really hard to run the board across the blade when there is a 45º angle on the board. A flat edge would have been easier. Anyway, we got the dado cut and he had another blade that made a rounded cut on the outer edges. That was a scary-looking blade and I was glad when that was done and we both had all our fingers.  Edited:  We later bought a router table and that would have done all this easily.



After sanding the outer edges, I was ready to put the pieces together. I didn't want nails on the outside of the frame, so I glued the corners first. Not having any clamps small enough, I used rubber bands to press the glued corners together. I also had to cut a piece of carboard to fit in the dadoed groove and keep the frames aligned.

I let it set up a bit and then hammered joint fasteners into the corners from the back. I only mention this so no one else will try this, at least not by yourself. The first one went in easily, even though they were really a bit too big. But hammering it in made the other 3 joints split apart. I reglued them and nailed them on the spot, but there is a noticeable gap in each joint.

After the glue dried, I turned it over, filled the gaps with wood filler, and sanded it down. Then, and this is the reason I was looking for a flat picture frame, I used a stack of stencils glued together and lightweight drywall compound, and made a Gesso design in the corners. If I had grandchildren, I think it would be cute to put their names on the frame, but I think my daughters will be happy with leaves.





I painted a base of tan paint over the edges and leaves so I can sand down to that after painting the frame.


I then painted the whole thing with a black spray paint with matte finish. After it dried, I lightly sanded the top of the whole frame which exposed the tan paint on the design and the frame edges. I sanded a little too far in a couple of places and had to retouch some of the tan and then buff it off. I'm not sure if I like it this way. After it dries another 24 hours, I may spray a clear sealer over it.

 

This is something that can be done on walls or furniture too.

********

Another frame, this one made out of framing trim from a big box store.




Until next time, may you have blessings and creativity,
Marti

October 09, 2008

I Could Never Be a Pioneer Farmer


I finished chopping down the okra today and then tilled the garden, or at least half of it. This year, I expanded the garden by about five feet, and that part was really hard to work. Not only because the ground was rock hard, but the tiller kept getting bound up with the grass and a bolt in the handle kept loosening and falling off. I usually till with tines going backward, and to free them when they get clogged with grass, I reverse the tines. Once the tines are free again, the tiller takes off like a bucking bronc until I can get it stopped. It seemed appropriate that I name her Nellie (as in Whoa Nellie). In turtle speed, it's an effort to hang onto the handle and keep her going straight, and my arms are shaken all the way to my shoulders. Who needs a gym membership?

After I finished tilling, I raked out the grass from the new area, spread some wheat as my winter cover crop, raked over that, and watered it in. I'm beat, and I only did half the garden; the other half still has tomatoes, peppers, and okra growing in it.

Until next time, may you have blessings and soft soil,
Marti

October 06, 2008

I'm Baaaack!


I got busy last February, and quit posting for awhile. My father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimers, then Parkinsons, then not Alzheimers, and has been having a lot of medical problems. We had decided to move, and then buy a duplex or house with separate apartment. Then Hubby decided we would convert the garage into an apartment. Then he decided we would add on to our house. Then we were back to selling.

Anyway, by the time things slowed down and I could get back to regular posting, I had lost my password and couldn't remember what email I signed up with. Maybe I am the one with Alzheimers.

Until next time, may you have blessings and a happy fall, y'all,
Marti

January 07, 2008

I Forgot to Tell About Our Branson Trip


The four of us, Hubby's parents, and my mom went to Branson the week before Christmas. Sound like fun? It had it's moments.

The Hubster had just had back surgery the week before and couldn't sit up very long, which meant I did most of the driving, and he did most of the backseat driving. We made a pallet down the middle of the van for him, but the girls liked sleeping there better than Hubby! The drive wasn't too bad until we got to Springfield and had to take some narrow, winding roads to our condo, and it had gotten dark. I don't really see well enough to drive in the dark, but it was me or flag down a stranger on the side of the road. And there didn't appear to be any strangers on the side of the road.

So I was driving, Hubby was on his pallet doing his backseat driving while lying down and unable to see out the windows. His backseat driving consisted of yelling "slow down", "were you supposed to turn there?", "are you sure we're on the right road?" and finally, "pull over somewhere!" even though there wasn't anywhere to pull over. It was especially stressful since Mom was following and would have to pull over too, and I couldn't tell if anyone was behind her. The last speed limit sign I saw was 50 MPH which was really fast on those winding roads, but I didn't want to be the lead in a long, slow train with honking cars behind me. Needless to say, I was a tense nervous wreck before we found somewhere to pull over. Turns out I missed the speed limit sign that said 30 MPH! After that, I was having back spasms and if I could have reached Hubby's neck, I'm sure I would have had hand spasms too.

But we finally reached the condo, and all in one piece.

We did a lot of shopping but only saw one Branson show, Kirby VanBurch. His magic was good, but the second half of his show was a play that wasn't great. We also went to Silver Dollar City, and saw two shows there, a gospel group, and the play A Christmas Carol. That play was great, and the set was fantastic. Even though I've seen that play umpteen times, this one brought me to tears. To top it off, at the end of the play they created snow over the whole audience.

While I'm glad we spent the time with the parents, it probably would have been better if we had gone somewhere that didn't involve scheduling events. Trying to get seven people out the door on time was a major event in itself, and when three of them moved at the speed of a herd of turtles, all the walking was a bit much.

The Christmas parade at Silver Dollar City was great and the light show synchronized to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Wizards in Winter was fantastic. Our condo was nice too, so much better than staying at a hotel. The best night was when we turned the lights down in the condo and celebrated Christmas with our family with the lights sparkling on the lake beyond our balcony.







Until next time, may you have blessings and enjoyable family vacations,
Marti