Buy American? Hell yes!

Was it the 1070's when we had the last "Buy American" fad? Wasn't that when American automobiles were total crap heaps and the Japanese were making superior vehicles for a fair price? Back then I struggled with the concept of "Buy American" because Americans were building crap. Maybe I was too immature or selfish to understand the economic ramifications of my spending our dollars for Japanese goods, but I thought, "Hey, if you build crap, don't expect me to come running to buy it." Then I bought a little yellow Datsun 280Z. It rusted out in about a year. But I digress.

Then things changed. US automobile manufacturers stepped up, at least with respect to quality - not necessarily innovation. Today I have an American automobile manufacturer's vehicle. Not that it means much of it is made in the U.S., or that the steel is U.S. steel is from the U.S, but the brand name is American, anyway - and it's from the U.S. manufacturer that doesn't want any bailout money. Uh, never mind about this part.

Fast forward to today. I don't know if I have changed, or if the conditions are different. Today I'm a flag waving "Buy American" fan. That is, "Buy American" if you can find something still made in America by an American.

I'm so freaking sick of hearing about jobs shipped overseas I could puke. And it's not just manufacturing anymore. I'm also sick of calling for service and getting someone that is in India, just like Teri, who posted about this a while back.

If we're not a manufacturing economy, and we're not a service economy, what the fuck are we? Oh yeah, a fucked up economy, that's right. That's it.

I don't have anything against people from India, Mexico, or China. It's just that I am tired of my friends losing their jobs, and me having to cope with well meaning people taking phone calls like robots but not actually being able to make decisions or solve problems for me.

How did this happen? It happened because of greed and our obsession of acquisition of "stuff" in this country.

Wealthy investors in this country worship the almighty quarterly income statement, which causes companies to layoff their higher paid American workers and ship the jobs overseas so that they don't get punished on Wall Street. Companies close American manufacturing sites and ship production to China so costs are driven down, right along with the American middle class, who lose jobs.

Meanwhile, instead of getting mad that our jobs are leaving, we Americans buy, buy, buy the cheaper goods that come from China... I'm guilty, and I'll bet most of us are guilty, of bad consumption habits.

We, fellow Americans, are filling our homes and our trash cans with products that make the world's rich people richer, we exploit the poor overseas that are willing to work for little to nothing, and we cause the American middle class to vanish. We all need to stop buying cheap foreign made "stuff" if we can find American made products instead.

What about the government? What should the United States do when our trade partners object to the "Buy American" clauses in the U.S. Economic Stimulus Package?

Is it unfair to expect that our tax dollars, spent to put U.S. citizens to work and improve U.S. infrastructure be spent on U.S. products, like steel, as long as the steel is priced fairly (which is stated in the policy in question)? Our trade partners say it's unfair.

I disagree. I think it is perfectly fair to put American citizens to work with American tax dollars to build American infrastructure with American produced goods.

Why do Canada and Europe (or any other country, for that matter) think they should have first (or any) dibs on U.S. tax dollars being spent to stimulate the U.S. economy?

What am I missing? What is the reciprocate that I don't understand?

Those chickens are lame ducks

Those poor chickens. Everyone wants to eat them.

Yesterday Thing 3 and I were out there letting them run around and forage. They love to scratch in the dirt, dust themselves off, and eat the grass and weeds we have this time of the year.

All of the sudden the chickens went nuts. Just as I looked up to see what was going on, the Harris Hawk that was swooping in for a snack noticed I was there. I think we surprised each other equally. He waited around on the electric pole out front, but decided to move on while we were herding the birds back into the pen.

All of this time I have wondered if I was being silly to babysit when they are out foraging.

Now I know.

The hawks have really given us a run for our money this winter. One day I went out to see them flocks and there was a dead chick on the side of the pen. It looked as if the hawk had grabbed it through the wire with its talon and pulled it's head through the wire. Either the dogs or I must have scared the hawk off before it finished its meal.

Then a couple of weeks ago someone left the pen door unlocked. It holds pretty tight without locking, but we lock it to keep the dogs from pushing it open - or coyote, or javelina. Well, something opened the door during the night and got a mature laying hen and 18 maturing chicks. Ugh.

Not to worry, though. We have more chicks on their way. My last order was from Welp's hatchery. Healthiest chicks yet. If not for the "break in" and the hawk we would have only lost one of the 31 from our order from failure to thrive. Not bad at all, given our past experiences.

Speaking of lame ducks, I'm wishing I could get some ducks. Welp's has ducks, geese, guineas, turkeys... I'd love to have a little pond and some ducks. That will have to wait, though. I'm already tired of hauling home feed and scratch. At this rate I might as well get a horse and a cow!

One of these days I'm going to research home made incubators. Thing 3 wants to try to hatch some eggs. I'm willing, if I don't have to spend any money.

I don't think I can ever live on less than a rural acre again. This is too fun. (Well, that's today. Ask me some day when the chores are overwhelming me!)

Plenty to cheer about

All is well in Bubbles' world.  Plenty to be cheering about.

The drama surrounding Thing 2's major gap in judgement last weekend seems to be slowing down, which is fine by me.  She has no phone, no computer, and doesn't even bother to ask for social engagements, which all seems quite fair as far as I'm concerned.  She was a little pissy at first, but I think she gets it now.  I can't know for sure, but I think we have plowed through all the lies and the slate is clear.  God I hope so, anyway.  I'm very happy to see her returning to her former self.  She spends time with us instead of locked in her room or with her nose in her Blackberry.  She smiles and makes conversation, she helps around the house, and her room is all cleaned up and neat!  He school work has been good all the way through, so all is o.k. there.

I have to say that I may never be the same, though.  This morning her bedroom door was locked when I went to wake her up.  I knocked, called, then banged and yelled... no reply.  Finally I used a q-tip stick to unlock the door.  She was just sound asleep in there.  For those few minutes I was trying to get in I was scared she was gone again.  I sure hope that feeling goes away as time passes and no more stupid stunts happen.

I also hope that what I'm seeing in her behavior since the drama last weekend is real.  It feels so great to see the "old" Thing 2 again.  She has been absent since last summer - when she met the girl that got her involved in all this bullshit in the first place.  This girl is no longer in the picture.  Long story short, her parents and I both agree the two are better off without each other.  The mother said that Thing 2 is the third friend that this girl has lost because of sex, drugs, or alcohol.  Yet, the girl's father called me to yell at me for involving his daughter in this. Ironically, the only way I "involved" her was to share what I was finding out from Thing 2, which was that Thing 2 met these older guys through their daughter when they snuck out during an overnight visit at this girl's house.   Given the parenting approach and this girls general propensity to cover up lies with more lies,  I suspect they will continue to have trouble. I also pray that this phase will end as quickly as it began for Thing 2.

Mr. Ex has been completely useless in all of this, of course.  He sent some stupid email to Thing 2 about the value of finding a mentor.  The saddest thing was when I was exploring options for dealing with this - not knowing how bad it could be, I asked if there was an option to send Thing 2 to live with him if necessary.  Not that it was my first choice, but I needed to know what options I had in case a major intervention was in order.  His reply?  The very first thing he said in response was, "There would need to be financial adjustments."

OH. MY. GOD.  His first thought in a crisis with our child was how to pay less alimony.  What a dick.  Of course I immediately knew that sending her to him would be the worst possible thing. No matter how hard it gets, I'll never throw my kid under a bus like that.  I'd sooner find a way to pay for a top-end boarding school.  Hopefully it will NEVER come to that, though!

The chickens are proving to be very useful now that the local Science Fair is here again.  Thing 3 is required to enter, so he is doing an experiment to see if providing artificial light will improve egg yield.  (It does, at least in the major corporate farms.)  This week is our control week, using natural light only.  He records the daily yield, by egg color, the weather and hours of sunlight.  Next week we will add artificial light from dusk to dawn, and the following week we will only supplement light a few hours per night.  A basket of the colorful eggs, some charts and graphs, and some photos should make a nice display for the fair.  Thanks, chickens!

Thing 1 has been working on a project for French class.  A group of kids are producing a newscast in French on video.  Last weekend they drove to Flagstaff to do a weather report in the snow.  Thing 1 taped a commercial in the hot tub that I hear was quite funny - I can't wait to see the finished product.  I'm amazed how creative these kids are.

My job search is a big fat zero.  Ugh.  Of course, Mr. Ex is experiencing his annual "oh, the layoffs are happening again.  Business is bad... big cutbacks... ", it's the same damn thing every year.  Jesus, I'm so sick of it.  I just pray that I'll find a job before he loses his - which he is bound to do eventually.

I'm working on my second to the last class for the "Change Leadership" professional certificate from Cornell.  I've really enjoyed the program, but I'll be glad to be finished.  Woo-hoo, I'll be a well qualified unemployed person - along with thousands of others in the country.  

Go Economic Stimulus Package!  

Go Arizona Cardinals! 

The Worst Nightmare

Today is Inauguration Day and a beautiful day. I feel such hope for the future of the country, and believe that brighter days are on their way. It may take a while, but it will come.



I needed today. I needed it because I survived a nightmare this weekend. Let me share.



On Sunday morning I woke up at about 8:30 a.m. Thing 1 had been on an overnight and was driving up to Flagstaff for a school project, so I knew where she was. Thing 3 slept with me, so I knew where he was. Thing 2 was in her bedroom because she kissed me goodnight at 9:00pm Saturday night and headed for her room.



I made myself a nice cup of tea, sat down with my laptop and read some news. I started to set up a Facebook account but quickly grew bored. I played a couple of card games.



Before I knew it it was 10:00a.m. It was a sunny and warm morning and I decided that I was going to get everyone up and get this house cleaned, teamwork style.



At first I was going to start with Thing 1, but I quickly remembered she wasn't home. I had to giggle at myself. When I realized my error I turned the other direction toward Thing 2's room. Thing 2 had been sick most of last week. She spent most of Tuesday through Friday asleep in her bed. She was the last one of the family to suffer with the stomach virus.



When I entered Thing 2's room I saw that she was snuggled deep in her covers. Her comforter is a hand-me-down from her older sister. The bedding set was sold under the MTV brand, known as "The Crib". It is black velvet with leopard print with gold sequin accent pillows. Certainly was not my first pick when purchased, but actually pretty cute on Thing 2's black wrought iron daybed. Looking at her snuggled under the covers made me chuckle. It seemed kind of mean to wake up someone so snuggled in. We have shudders on all of our windows, and when they are closed it is nice an dark in our bedrooms. We live at the end of a dirt road, so it is almost always very quiet. It is wonderful to sleep in in this house, and we often do.



In spite of my brief thoughts about letting her sleep, I decided it was a good thing to help Thing 2 get body clock back on track. I gently pulled her comforter back.



There were two large stuffed bunnies under the covers. Thing one was not there.



Without hesitation I called out her name. After hearing myself call her twice I realized that I was still staring at her bed in disbelief. After all, I had been out of bed for almost two hours. She had not gone for a walk or a jog - or she would be back.



I ran to Thing 3's room. His bed is a loft, so I climbed the ladder to make sure that she wasn't in his bed. She was not.



I double checked my own bed. Not there. I checked Thing 1's bed (but there is no way that anyone wants to go in there - it's gross). Not there.



I ran up to the roof. Thing 2 likes to go up on the roof and talk on the phone, play her guitar, or listen to her ipod. Not there.



I returned to her bedroom. I opened the shudder. The window was wide open and the screen was on the ground. It was clear that the screen had been stepped on - probably more than once.



I paced. I was wringing my hands. I think I was breathing very hard.



I was trying to be smart. I wondered what I had forgotten. Where could she be? We didn't have a fight, we didn't argue. There was no sign of any sort that would make me believe that she would leave.



Abduction? Could that be what happened? No, no way. Not to us.



I called my brother. I asked him what I should do. Should I call the police? He said to wait before calling the police.



By the time my brother got here I had called the police. I couldn't take a chance.



My bother looked all the same places. I asked him to look in the barn to see if the golf cart and the ATV's were there. I asked him to make sure that she had not fallen off the roof.



I looked over her room again. I was afraid to touch anything, naively thinking that I would disturb evidence. Her wallet and purse were both on the shelves right above her bed. All of her money was in the wallet. If she ran away, she took no money.



Her only sneakers were right on the floor next to her bed.

The police posted her as a runaway. A runaway? Don't runaways have problems at home and at school? Don't runaways leave because they have problems with their parents or their siblings, or drugs? O.K., though. She was a runaway.

Later, probably at least an hour later, we heard from her. She eventually gave us her location and my brother picked her up. She provided the most stupid story ever told. She claimed she went for a walk, lost track of time... she couldn't really explain why an exit through the window was necessary, however.

I explained, in a mean and loud voice, that if she actually thought that people would believe her story that she had to be high, so we bought a drug test. I watched her pee in a cup and I tested her for five or six different drugs. Not my finest parental moment, I assure you.

Happily, she passed the drug tests. All clear. No drugs.

I confiscated the phone, obtained all passwords, deleted the myspace account. We have been through several versions of where she was and what she did. The first story was the crazy one. The second story was plausible. A nearby household, parents out of town, a party, passing out, waking up and panicking. Trouble is, I checked the story. I called the family. They were all out of town.

Meanwhile, she received a text message from someone capable of obtaining alcohol. He said, "Damn Sweetheart, there must be some way I can see you tonight." (I still throw up a little in my mouth when I think about it.

I texted him back. I'm a little embarrassed about the profane nature of my reply to this a-hole, but suffice to say he is worried because he waited a couple of days before responding with his claims of it "not going that far, and Wes knows that".

So I dug deeper. I have now found out that she was picked up by a guy on a motorcycle, went to an apartment, drank too much, threw up a lot, passed out, woke up and panicked. She admitted to this after I had dug most of it up. She lied to protect a girlfriend who couldn't get out that night.
She met these guys through the girlfriend, and she knew I'd tell the girl's mother. Which I have now done.

We are moving ahead. The bond of trust is broken. I forgive her. I'm worried.

I dated a guy that was 18 when I was 14 or barely 15, so I see how this happens. However, my date came to the door, met my parents, took me on a date, brought me home safe and sound. Obviously, this is different.

We have a wonderful community of support here. I shared the story with Thing 3's teacher, who was also Thing 2's 5th grade teacher. She put me in touch with the police officer that taught my daughter in the 5th grade drug abuse prevention program, and he spent about an hour on the phone with me today. She won the essay contest about the program and the prize was a week long camp. He remembered her well. He has volunteered to speak to her if she is willing.

The police officer has suggested I try impersonating Thing 2 with the guy that contacted her. He suggested I come on to him to get evidence of what his motives are. He also suggested I try to get his address. I think you see where this could go.

I'm not sure I have the stomach for it. I'll just have to think about it.

Regardless of this mess, I'm grateful. I'm grateful she wasn't killed on the motorcycle, leaving us to wonder what happened. I'm grateful she tested drug free. I'm grateful that she was throwing up so much that she couldn't get a ride home. I'm grateful that she got caught. I'm grateful that I had the courage to check out her story, even though I didn't really want to. I'm proud that I dug deeper.

Parenting is really, really hard work. Single parenting is not ideal. However, I am most grateful and proud that I have family, friends, teachers, other parents, and even police officers that care about my child and have responded to me when I reached out for help. I think I have to accept that this is only the beginning.

What a ride.

I'm 49!

Today is my birthday! Thanks Sans Pantaloons for your wonderful wishes first thing this morning!

Since I'm just recovering from the stomach virus that I picked up from Thing 3 this weekend, I'm not very inspired to post today.

All I can say is that I'm 49, and proud of it! Here's a preview of next year's birthday post. One of my favorites - Ms. Sally O'Malley. She's fifty, you know.

Counting Blessings and Happy Friday

Happy Friday!

Last night I was up most of the night taking care of my sick, sick, sick little boy.  Stomach virus - ugh.  I was getting worried that we had a hospital visit in the works when he couldn't hold down ice chips and had lost what seemed to be gallons of fluid.  I've been through that with another kid, and I never want to experience it again.  Hospitals are the worst.

Thank heavens I never throw out old prescription medications.  (I know, that is officially a bad thing... I'm just a rebel)  I had some leftover anti-nausea suppositories from another kid's bout with this a very long time ago.  They were old and expired, but I took a chance.  It worked!  He was able to sleep, hold down ginger ale, and by morning could get out of bed.  He's right here on the couch playing on the other laptop.  Ahhh.

It is a night like last night that makes me happy I'm still home.  No stress to find sick child care, or worries about calling in sick for myself.  Just me and my all-night sick boy, recovering from a rough night.  

To hell with the worries about the stock market and all the losses, the debt, and all the rest.  We've survived this long, and I'm glad I've made this choice.  It won't be long and he won't need me like he does right now.  

I'm counting my blessings today.  I hope you will, too.

Have a great weekend.

Lemon Custard - a new family favorite

Note:  The photo is not my lemon custard.  Mine looked much better, actually.

I have always loved Flan.  What is not to like?  Creamy custard with sweet carmel sauce.  Who on earth couldn't love that?  When I eat it the flavor reminds me of childhood, so I must have eaten it in Brazil.

I always wanted to make it.  Then when my son was in fourth grade they had a southwest "feast".  Everyone was supposed to bring something, hopefully home made.  I decided I would make flan.

I found a painfully easy recipe online.  I chose the recipe because the person claimed that their mother originally got the recipe in either Peru or Brazil.  It tastes exactly like I remember and definitely as good as the ones I have ordered in restaurants and loved.  The kids love it and it doesn't last long when I make it.

Now that we have eggs in abundance I have an excuse to make it most of the time.  (The recipe calls for 6-10 eggs.

The other day I was in the mood to cook, but not in the mood to caramelize sugar, so I decided to try to alter the basic custard recipe.  I substituted one half teaspoon of lemon extract for one half of the vanilla, then put in the zest of one (fresh from the tree) lemon.  Baked as usual, and a new family favorite was born!  Lemon custard.  They said it was great warm, better cold, and best the next day.

I wish I could have tasted it.  It smelled fabulous.  I was wondering what would happen if you tried to caramelize lemon Jello for the top.  Has anyone ever tried to caramelize Jello powder?

Today I will try the exact same thing with orange.  We have lots of citrus these days.  The lemons, limes, grapefruit and oranges are all ripe and delicious right now.  Also, I only cook with Penzy's spices and flavorings.  They are the best.  They used to only be mail order and are definitely worth mail order if you don't have a store nearby.  I was a mail order customer before they opened stores near me.  Give them a try if you love to cook and don't shop there already.

I'm getting anxious to start cooking again!  I'll be on a very low carb diet for three weeks after my last injection on Sunday.  Obviously custard won't be on that menu!

Big losses and anticipated gains

On this 34th day of my diet I have officially lost 22.8 pounds.  Amazing, huh?  I still have a way to go, but I'm much healthier, feel great, and look like my former girlish self.

This weight thing has plagued me all my life, much of it body image crap.  I have been a sucker for many crazy fad diets, and when I look back at how I looked at the time I was torturing myself I was definitely crazy for thinking I was fat!  I am your classic American woman that has body image problems thanks to air-brushed images in magazines and starving women on television and in movies.  Mr. Ex was the worst thing to happen to someone like me because he was consistently passively critical of me.  He would make little remarks about how my clothes fit (or didn't fit quite right), and he rarely (never?) showed any interest in me physically.  I always felt like he was "tolerating" my lack of physical attractiveness.  He didn't support me in any way when I tried to improve myself.  I have to laugh at myself when I think about what I tried to get him to tell me I was good enough.  How pathetic is that?  Why did I need it and why was I looking for it from someone that was withholding it?  That's another subject entirely!

Then there is the genetic aspect of fat and obesity.  Research is supporting long existing theories that genetics plays a significant role in obesity tendencies.  We are not genetically sentenced to be obese, but we have wiring that can result in obesity.  It's a bummer, but as I see it, the same genes that have given me the likelihood for diabetes, alcoholism, and neural firing anomalies, have also given me a quick mind and enviable intellect, a strong body and disposition, respectable inner and outer beauty, and exceptional creativity.  We must play with the hand we are dealt.

Beginning in roughly January 2005, my life went spiraling downward for reasons I've blogged about before - divorce, death, disasters, etc.  Stress levels were constantly high for about 3 1/2 years until my health took a nose dive and crashed into the ground, burst into flames, and sent me desperately seeking help.

An important thing I noticed was the unusual way that the weight went on.  I have always had a waist and my waist was disappearing.  Cheer has a nice explanation of the different kinds of fat our bodies store on her blog.  In my case previously minimal visceral stores started to pile on.I never lacked the grabable subcutaneous stores, something I'm learning to love about myself over time. (Which is nice because no one has grabbed any for some time now - er, since Labor Day-ish 2004, to be exact.)   Anyway, I have now learned how chronic stress and cortisol, a stress hormone played a significant role in the visceral phenomenon.  When my cortisol levels were tested they were off the charts.

The second thing I noticed was the ease in which body fat was stored or went on, but the stubbornness of it to come off.  I was attributing this to age, which is definitely a factor. Additionally, the stress had done quite a bit of damage to my system as a whole, throwing a number of metabolic processes out of control. 

Traditional medical doctors, not surprisingly, attributed all of this to menopause, peri-menopause, etc.  The advice was more exercise, less food, potential hormone replacement therapy.  Trouble was, the fatigue was unbearable.  How can you exercise more when it feels impossible to get out of bed and stay out of bed?

I did some internet research and found a local Natropath that does saliva testing to actually measure hormone levels.  Guess what?  My hormone levels did NOT indicate a lack of estrogen (menopause), in fact the tests indicated that, in balance, the estrogen was TOO HIGH! If I had followed the traditional methods of addressing my complaints I would have likely made my problems worse.  I ended up taking a very, very small amount of progesterone to balance the level compared to the elevated estrogen.  Ahhh.  I felt much better.  Additionally, the Natropath prescribed supplements for the hypothalamus, the pituitary, and the adrenal systems.  I felt better very quickly.

 

None of the above approaches are done with traditional MD's, nor are these approaches considered much more than quackery.  Likely this is because the FDA doesn't do much with supplements than discredit their claims, and because the FDA and Congress are pushing for regulation of the bio-identical hormone replacement like the one I was prescribed.  Basically, if the major pharmaceuticals aren't producing it, it isn't likely to be credited by anyone official.

Back to the weight loss journey.  While I was visiting the Natropath there was minimal mention of a new weight loss program they were introducing.  I took notice especially because of the claims of rapid loss.  Being a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and having successfully lost 27 pounds back in the late 1990's applying "point counting", I know how much patience it takes to lose weight in a traditional, healthy way.  I also know that it was very, very hard for me to stay motivated last year when I tried to do the Weight Watcher's program again.  It was even slower than I remembered, and I eventually got discouraged.  The Natropath said that until my general health was stable that there was no point in pursing it.

As soon as I felt better I inquired about the program.  Heaven knows I needed to do something.  We started with blood work that justified my concerns.  My cholesterol was high and my glucose was alarmingly high.  With a significant family history on both sides of diabetes, and many deaths in my extended family attributed to diabetes and diabetic complications, it was easy to justify the benefit of getting on a weight loss program.

The program is very, very controversial.  Mainstream medical professionals reject it and say the claims are unfounded.  The program was most recently being touted by a proven snake oil salesman named Kevin Trudeau.  This program is considered quackery.

The program is based almost completely on a protocol developed by a Dr. Simmeons in the 1950's in Europe.  You can read all about it on the web if you look up HCG and weight loss.  It involves daily injections of a hormone (HCG), coupled with a very, very low calorie diet, consisting a very limited ingredients.  It is high protein combined with mostly greens.  The only beverages allowed are water, mineral water, tea, and coffee (black).  The no alcohol part was spooky for me.  I love my drinks - beer, wine, vodka, gin, tequila... I love them all.  I really enjoy an evening cocktail after a long hard day of work.  

The program through my physician is very comprehensive.  They provide the food.  It is freshly prepared, all organic, with no artificial anything.  There is a weekly group meeting with a psychologist (which I have not attended at all because I've had conflicts), and weekly check-ups.  At the weekly check ups I weigh in, pick up the syringes for the shots, and have a quick consult.  I've had no complaints whatsoever, so it has been easy.

Granted, a very, very low calorie diet will result in weight loss!  The difference, both claimed and from my experience, is the way in which the fat is lost, and the way you feel.  I have lost no muscle that I can tell, and the fat loss is the stuff that definitely didn't belong.  Granted, every part of me is getting smaller, but the waistline fat is gone, my arms look much better, and I look like a girl again - meaning the places where fat belongs are still in tact.  Normally a very, very low calorie diet or a fast will result in losing lean muscle along with excess fat, even the necessary fat that we have to protect our organs and our mechanics (like the pads on the bottom of our feet, for example).  Also, I have loads of energy and am rarely hungry.  I won't say that I don't miss some foods or that I'm not hungry sometimes, but if I eat the meals I'm supposed to eat when I'm hungry I am satisfied.  I am not starving.  My skin is clear and healthy, my hair is shiny, my eyes are bright.  I sleep like a baby and wake up ready to go.

The biggest risk I am expecting is the maintenance.  I expect that I will need to be very, very diligent in my efforts to stabilize  at the new weight.   Time will tell on this one, since it is common knowledge that long-term success with weight loss is an issue, regardless of the program, but failure rates are significantly higher with rapid loss programs.

By the end of the program on January 17, I will likely be at a healthy weight and BMI.  I will also be 49 years old and ready to start the next phase of my life.  My body will be as cleansed as it has ever been.  There will not have been a chemical ingested or applied (no body lotions, creams, or make-up is allowed) to my body for six weeks.

I'm hoping for an upturn in the economy, enough that I can find a kick-ass job in Human Resources and get back out there again.  Two of my three kids are forging into adulthood, and Mr. Thing Three will be there very soon.  He will be out of Elementary School next year, and I think it is time for me to accept that I need to be out there meeting new people and having my own life again. 

My projected total loss on this program will be 30 pounds.  I'll post a picture around my birthday if I have the nerve.  As usual, no before pictures are available.  Some things just don't change, do they?

Eggs, chickens, ahhhh

You know, when we went into the hardware store last year and started this whole journey of raising chickens I had now idea how much I would end up loving it.  

Our total number of adult chickens is 18, with 13 hens and three roosters.  Those God damned roosters.  I feels like no matter how many I butcher I can't get rid of enough of them.  Last week I thought we were down to two - one for each coop, and then our big, brown, puffy bird decided to crow!  Right in front of me!  The nerve!  :-)  When I'm in the mood again I'll have to haul out the butcher knife and prepare a nice chicken dinner.  

Anyway, we have the 13 hens, and if you can believe this, our highest daily egg yield has been ONE DOZEN!  That doesn't even include the 29 baby chicks that aren't producing yet!  We will be in Egg City when they mature.  I think I'll put an ad for farm fresh, cage free eggs on Craig's list.  I have to decide on a price.  If you regularly buy cage free / organic eggs and can share a market price I'd appreciate any ideas.

We currently get brown, tan, white and blue-green eggs.  They all taste equally delicious.  I'm amazed at the quality difference, even from the commercial cage-free variety.  Tough shells and bursting with flavor.  Yummm.

Volume has not been a problem.  I share with my family and my next door neighbor because the neighbor shares his grapefruit.  Now his lemon tree is extending over the wall, so he will be sharing his lemons, even if it isn't his plan.

Thing Three cooks up a few eggs for a snack all the time.  I boil them and chop them in salads and they make great snacks.  Once boiled it is impossible to keep them for 24 hours because they are so darn good.

One reason the egg yield has jumped so high is that I have a flood light and a warming lamp in the second coop for the babies.  I can probably take that out now, but it has dropped to freezing a couple of nights and they seem to like it.  As I understand it, commercial farms keep the lights blazing for 24 hours to keep yields up.  More daylight makes for more production.

The new coop is finally finished.  I ended up doing most of it myself in spite of my kids promising to help.  I did it while they were gone.  It was good to be outside, the weather was crisp and the sun was shining.

I had an accident while doing the coop, however.  I was very, very lucky it wasn't a much worse and tragic one.  I use UV strength plastic cable ties to attach the chicken wire to the pipe horse stall framework.  The batch I bought at Home Depot must have been a little off spec because they were hard to pull tight.  To remedy this I used a pair of pointed pliers.  Not quite needle-nose, but pointed.

I was up on the ladder and attaching the upper sheet of wire to the top rail.  It was a little tricky because gravity was pulling the wire sheet down and I was fighting it trying to tighten the cable tie that was attaching the sheet to the top rail.  I used my left hand to hold the wire sheet high enough, and used my right hand to get the tie ready and pull the tail through the tie's lock with the pliers.  I had to pull pretty fast and hard with the pliers.  It was working very well.  I was about 2/3 around, and I suppose I was getting a little tired.

I was cruising along and with one big tug either the pliers slipped or the tail of the cable tie snapped... and with a great deal of my own strength I plunged the pliers, pointy end first, into my face!!  Ugh!!!!!!!

I was a lucky lady.  I missed my eyeball by about an inch and smacked the pliers into the bone around my eye socket.  I could have lost an eye.  I guess I should consider some safety glasses (nerd alert).

I stopped, muttered "fuck", and pulled my dazed self together.  I moved on - for a couple more ties, until my eye went all foggy.  I realized there was blood dripping down into my eye.  I went inside and was prepared for horror.  Fortunately, it was "only a flesh wound".  I wiped it clean and applied a tiny bandage to the puncture wound.  (I finally found a use for those little square band-aids!)  It was swelling pretty fast so I applied some ice for a few minutes.  Then I went out to finish.

It is healing nicely.  Minimal bruising and swelling, just sore to the touch and a little cut.  Hopefully the cut won't scar.

I'm reminded of the old Saturday Night Live skits with Billy Crystal.  "I hate when that happens!"  

The eggs and the chickens are worth it.  I love going out to let them forage out of the coop and drink a cup of tea and watch.  I love the feeling of finding their eggs.  They have really brought a lot of relaxing entertainment to my life.  I guess I'm easily entertained.  Simple things make me pretty darn happy.  I'm going to go whip up a batch of deviled eggs, a family favorite.