Desert Magnolia

A few months back I played with adopting the Mediterranean Diet. In principle, it seemed like a really good choice. I am, after all, half of that region of the world, and felt like maybe I needed to expand my horizons while reducing my animal product intake. Huuuuuuge personal mistake. (I know, Dr. G, but I am what I am.) In the time I opted for chickpeas and legumes as primary protein sources I noticed a need for much more on my plate or in my bowl to satisfy my nutritional needs. I didn't mind that, and just increased what I ate. Lots and lots of veggies, etc., but I was always hedging what felt like a sugar crash, and given my history with that, I didn't like it. I felt bloaty most of the time. I felt less sharp, a little more on edge, and spent what I deemed to be way too much time thinking about my next meal. I had terrible PMS. Terrible. I won't elaborate, but really who wants to worsen that little monthly nugget? Not me... I gained almost 10 pounds, pou...

Is there a rhyme or reason to the actions we take? This question has arisen countless times since humans began to ponder such things. And no matter which theory you subscribe to, no matter how empty or full your consciousness may be at any given point in time, the variables involved in determining true motivation are myriad, and, I believe, impossible to calculate with any scientific precision. After all, motivation can be linked to many things, and if the heart happens to be involved, then all bets are off in terms of applying logic to the scenario. The heart does what the heart does, when it decides to do it, and we generally get to hold on and do our best to navigate the outcome and avoid vertigo, if possible. To all of the big questions, I am beginning to believe, the answer is love. Love is the answer. It takes so many forms it is impossible to quantify. It defies reason, logic and attempts at control. It persists in spite of our attempting to think it through, thank goodness...

The frost is nearly on the pumpkin, and I am wondering where in the hell the last almost eleven months have gone! I mean, there were the holidays - always a blur,  then the New Year - always a bit of a letdown/gotta keep moving with school adventure,  then there was spring, my birthday (a no biggie one this year as it turns out), then there was summer (kind of a non-summer as summers go, highlighted by a quick visit from kids), now there is fall and oh man...it's almost the holidays again. The kittens have grown to full size kitties, and they are super fun and funny. We love them. The garden was awesome, and we're still getting a few tomatoes...though our days are numbered there. The big tree with all the leaves hasn't yet let go, but that's about to happen..probably next week when the temps dive a little below Indian Summer levels. Between now and setting up the tree? Finishing up midterms (yes another set...honestly, they never seem to end!), pushing through the re...

Yes, green chili roasting is the first hallmark of fall , but the season itself usually takes a month or so to follow suit. Apparently, we're there. This morning's walk was definitely not what it has been in terms of heat. While the average temps have been declining, there was a noticeable ..something as I made my way along the trails. And it was humid, too, which is super rare for here and results from the recent tail end of Hurricane Odile making her way through our fair state. So, before we know it the leaves will change (aspens are already neon yellow up in the northern part of the state, per my husband, who just returned from a backpacking trip), then, one night the temps will drop just far enough to make the trees call it quits for the year, then WHAM!, our silver maple will drop every.single.leaf in one night! No kidding, this tree...just decides when it's time, it's time, and there's a resounding crash as thousands of leaves hit the ground. It may b...

Well, I've broken through the 400 barrier of blog posts. When I think about it, I can't imagine having enough ideas - random or organized - to have written 400 missives. In fact, this feels a little, you know, anticlimactic. I mean with all of the big changes in my life, the current state of the world, global warming, the continued fight for equality for all, ebola, a shocking lack of notable miracles of late, and a general malaise of the soul that so many feel right now, breaking through a number seems shallow. On the other hand, life is made up of the small things, the notable moments, the special, serendipitous happenings that color days in beautiful ways and empower frightened people to accomplish Herculean feats. The moment in which we find ourselves is the only moment we are guaranteed, after all. The past, well it's already happened, and the future isn't a given. Little (and not so little) things that make life remarkable and help fill moments with..someth...

Getting older has its perks. I am now comfortable enough in my skin to answer questions I used to find incredibly invasive, though I am mature enough to know when NOT to answer them, as well. I no longer feel the need to justify or explain away aspects of myself in mixed company. I am not an  unkind, nasty or evil person, so I know that facets of me that seem quirky or odd are fairly easily explained away by unresolved childhood trauma. I'm still working on stupid stuff/reactions that characterized my life before 30, really, and know that this life is about evolution, not perfection, so whew! There are occasions, though, when maybe I'm a little too comfortable, that maybe I just feel that sharing something under cross examination is for the best. Or maybe I just don't hyper examine every single thought that escapes my face via my lips.... Case in point? Recently a fellow student, someone with whom I have been equally distant (by instinct - there is just something abo...

Occasionally, in spite of our advancing years, an opportunity to be a little silly, to let our collective hair down a bit, to just be in the same space with dear friends happens. Tomorrow night, this is the case. Now, for the first time in many years my hair happens to be longer than either of the two women I'm referring to here, because one of them has gone chic short after decades of elegant, long tresses and the other has opted for a medium short, very sassy cut that suits her well and makes her not stress every day, which is saying something. So what I'm saying is my comment about letting hair down is really figurative, not literal. Both of these women have also opted to stop dyeing their hair, which means LV is salt and pepper and gorgeous, and PD is all grey and stunning. I, however, am still waffling and continue to highlight my hair and will until it's really silver instead of in between, I think... Anyway, these women are remarkable. Interestingly enough, we a...