bethsblog

Bang!

Here's an interesting tid-bit:

Last week while tootling around town, listening to  pubic radio... it was Madeleine Brand's Day to Day... I heard a most interesting interview of Brian (We Will , We Will, Rock You) May. He was talking about his recently completed PhD in astrophysics and his new book titled, Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. "Brian, is a founding member of Queen, a world-renowned guitarist, songwriter, producer and performer. He was forced to abandon his PhD studies on interplanetary dust at Imperial College, London when Queen's popularity first exploded, but has always retained his keen interest in astronomy, and is a regular contributor to BBC's The Sky at Night."

I was totally impressed by the interview and look forward to adding Dr. May's book to my growing astronomy library.

"Keep it simple."

you never stop being her mom.

even when she's 26
with a life of her own.
when she calls you
feeling like her heart's entirely broken.
you clear your schedule
spend the weekend listening
encouraging
helping her to see hope
in the midst of devastating disappointment.
you make a pot of chicken soup
wrap her in a warm blanket
prop her up on pillows
and, just like when she was a little girl,
with a skinned knee
that you kissed to make it better
you tell her that everything will be okay.
because it will
and you believe it will
because you believe in her

"Keep it simple."

One of the awesomest things

There are a lot of awesome things that you witness when you're a mom, but one of the awesomest things is when your own daughter becomes a mom... and not just a mom... but an awesome mom!

   

Happy Mother's Day, Amy!

Love, Mom

"Keep it simple."

bethsdiet

Today I'm starting a new post category. bethsdiet. It seems that diet is a topic of intense interest (and confusion) for many folks. I have received numerous e-mails from readers on my posts related to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that I followed for a year with my daughter, Amy, who has Crohn's disease. She's had great success on the diet and has regained her intestinal health. Me... not so much. The diet, which bans all grain based carbohydrates, and substitutes baked goods made from almond flour, irritated my stomach. I ended up with gastritis... twice... and decided to reintroduce grains in the early part of this year. 

But I digress... diets... I've been there and done those. Stillman, Atkins, and Grapefruit in the 70's... fasting, low-fat, hi-fat, no sugar, you name it... But here I am at age 53, a curvy gal with a touchy gut who's trying to find her perfect diet. It's no longer about being skinny as it was in my teens and twenties... it's about health and strength and stamina and peace-of-gut.

So from time to time I'll post about my personal diet journey. As they say... (who are they anyway?) Please, talk to your doctor before stating any diet plan... and realize that each person is unique and must discover what eating pattern works for him/herself.

The first installment is in my post from earlier today....

"Keep it simple."

What is it about carbs?

Crispy crunchy chips and crackers.
Crumbly cornbread.
Cookies and cakes.
Bagels.

It's funny how grain-based carbs can take over your life... it certainly is easy to allow them to fill more and more of the plate, squeezing out important things like proteins, fruits and veggies.  Plus they're so darned accessible. I mean, what's easier, grabbing a cookie, or peeling an orange?

Last week, while out-of-town, I over-did the carbs, especially wheat-based ones, and ended up in misery with 24-hour-four-alarm belly gas. Plus, I was starving all the time. As soon as I got home I did 2 grain-free days, but halfway through the second day the stomach irritation that makes me feel like I have eaten a
handful of rocks, returned...

I stayed up late Sunday night hatching a new plan.

I'm calling it bethsdiet.

Yesterday, I had possibly the best gut day in a long time. I ate a small portion of a whole grain with each meal...  I also included lots of fruits and veggies. And I had a generous serving of protein with each meal.

I had a similar success the day before...  I realize that it's only been 2 days, but I'm feeling like I'm on to something.   

I'm limiting grains to 3-4 small servings per day... i.e. 1/2 cup of oatmeal or rice, one rice cake... one corn tortilla...like that... Yesterday my satisfaction level was very high and I wasn't hungry between meals at all.

But then I hit the wall. I had 4 whole-wheat crackers with dinner... and I blew up like a balloon... in lower GI agony the rest of the evening. Verdict: small quantities of rice, oats, and corn are okay... but I guess not wheat.

As I have several times over the past year, I'm keeping a food journal to track symptoms, as I try to find the best food pattern for me.

For today... wheat free...

"Keep it simple."

Post 301

Today I'm celebrating my three-hundred-first post. It's been 15 months of waking up excited to sit down at the computer and type what's rolling around in my head... or create a photo album, or publish a new recipe, or wax lyrical with a poem. It amazes me that people actually take the time to read the stuff I write. Hopefully, my apparent traffic is not just a bunch of Silly Traffic.

I'm sure I spend way too much time on the computer, but it's so darned fun and I'm always up for a good challenge. Like yesterday, when I spent half the day figuring out how to edit the HTML for one of my sidebar items, in order to remove the annoying text from a prefabricated link provided by the good folks at Zazzle. It felt like when I was five and I finally figured out how to ride my two-wheeler!

Quoting from Mad Housewife: "It is amazing how long things take on computers compared to what they were promising in the 70s and 80s... when all you were going to have to do was tell them what you wanted and they would do it all for you in an instant. Nobody said then, “It will take ten hours to find a colour you like by searching through twenty billion colours,” or “moving something from the left to the right will involve 299 tiny wrong moves before the 300th one is finally correct”.

...So true... but in spite of all that I'm still a goner...
hooked, I'm afraid on this craziness called blogging.

"Keep it simple."

Gallery of the Month

Duda Daze: Silly Little Works of Art, is my featured gallery this month. Diane Duda's work is whimsical and joyous... with an innocence that seems to be in short supply these days. She is also a fellow Zazzler. When I saw her designs, I fell in love. Here's a link to her gallery/blog. Enjoy!

"First Love"

"Keep it simple."

That May

It's that time of year.

When I get out my bike.
When I ride all my favorite routes.
When I swing through my dad's old neighborhood.
Once more for old time's sake.

Five years ago,
My father was dying.
I moved into his house,
That May.

Every afternoon, while he napped in his chair,
I took a walk around his neighborhood.
"I'll be back in half an hour...
Call me on my cell if you need me."

I watched the trees leaf out,
The grass grow green,
The tulips and daffodils bloom and fade,
That May.

And I walked.
And I waited.
And I watched my father slowly leave me.

His house is now somebody else's house.
(They removed the bushes lining the front walk and built
strange looking retaining walls around the porch.)
His neighborhood is now somebody else's neighborhood.

And it's that time of year.

"Keep it simple."

Pickles for Breakfast

Here are the lovely McKenna's on a high hill at the Ann Arbor's Nichol's Arboretum, fondly known to the locals as the "Arb". I had a wonderful week painting pictures with Sophia, playing peek-a-boo with Cassidy May... and yes, we actually did eat pickles for breakfast! (and lunch and dinner)

Thanks Amy and Stephen, once again, for sharing your beautiful family and home with me.

More images can be found in the sidebar album.
Here are a couple priceless video clips of the kids.

Dizzy Blonde

Time to Start Learning German

"Keep it Simple"

Home again, home again, jiggity-jog...*

The grand-kids were great,
Accommodations: sublime.
But I'm pretty worn out.
And a bit short on time.

I've got photos to upload,
Some videos too,
Laundry, mail, groceries,
It could be a zoo!

But in spite of all that,
I'll still take it slow.
And by Monday I'll have
All my ducks in a row:

Tune in for the update,
with pictures and vids
of Amy and Stephen's
adorable kids!

*To Market to Market, by Mother Goose

"Keep it Simple"