2013 Resolutions

Posted on by

I’ve decided to keep this year’s resolutions really simple.

  • Take better care of my health: I could make a list of specific improvements, but I’d rather take a holistic approach. I want to do what’s good for me and avoid what is bad.
  • Be more creative: I want to spend less time using the rational, analytical side of my brain and more of the creative side.
  • Spend less time in the cyber space and more time in the real world: That alone should give me a better chance of keeping the first two resolutions.
  • Worry less about our upcoming move: Whatever happens, I’m pretty certain that worry isn’t going to change anything.

Well that’s it, folks. Here’s to a wonderful 2013!

Chicken Stew

Posted on by

After all of the sugar and white flour that was our Christmas, I craved some healthy food. At the same time, I didn’t want to brave the shops just yet. So, I put together this fabulous stew from items on hand. Since I made it up as I went, the proportions are imprecise. This made two large crockpots of stew.

6 chicken breasts
4 stocks of broccoli
5 large yams, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large red onion
2 cartons of sliced mushrooms
a colander full of assorted red, yellow, and orange mini bell peppers
1 pound kidney beans
1 pound white beans
2 cartons of chicken broth
1 cup white wine
2 boxes of Pomo diced tomatoes
oregano
thyme
basil
garlic salt
4 bay leaves

Soak and cook the beans according to directions. Divide between two pots. Dice the onion and bell peppers and saute with the mushrooms in olive oil. Divide between pots, along with the broccoli and yams. Pour one carton of chicken broth in each and split the wine between the two pots. Place three chicken breasts in each pot and pour the tomatoes over the chicken. Make sure the chicken is submerged. Season to taste. (I threw in liberal amounts of each spice.)

Cook on high for two hours and on low for 10. The chicken should break up with a fork.

Enjoy!

On the Occasion of My 45th Birthday

Posted on by

I woke this morning to the realization that, given the state of current medical technology, I have very probably reached the half way mark in my life. Cut me some slack! It’s my birthday, and I can have a rare instance of optimism that it is only very probable and not a certainty. Mind you, the final couple of years may not be too memorable for me, but neither were the first few, so I figure it all evens out.

I’m feeling a bit introspective today. Overall, I’m delighted with the first 45 years. I mentally complied a list of the highlights on a long walk today:

My Parents: I could not have asked for two more incredible parents. It would be nice if my dad was still here so I could talk with him, take him to dinner, and watch him laugh at me over his grandsons’ antics. Nevertheless, I’m amazingly fortunate that I still have my mom with me. Furthermore, they made my life so incredibly easy. They made me feel unconditionally loved and secure, but didn’t make me the center of the universe. They gave me a blueprint for being a decent human being by being decent human beings. Their marriage showed me exactly what to look for in a spouse and just how incredible the institution can be, and made me unwilling to accept anything less than that.

My Education: I don’t use my degrees on a daily basis, but I will never regret the time I spent in school. I had the opportunity to read amazing writers, think new thoughts (some of my own invention!), and discuss them with some brilliant minds. I’m really glad for those opportunities, and I know they permanently changed me for the better.

Travel: I haven’t begun to see every corner of this planet, but I’ve seen enough to give me some perspective on life on this perverse little dirt clod floating in space. Mind you, I’d love to travel more, but if it doesn’t happen, I’ve seen some amazing and thought provoking sights.

My Spouse: Let’s face it: you can’t keep up a flawless front through three years of dating, a year of wedding planning, and fourteen years of contractual and religious bondage. Eventually, the other half has to see the spider veins, c-section scars, Medusa-like hair. Far worse, he has seen the dark moments when I’m small minded, can’t see the good in anything or can’t see beyond myself. Despite all of that, he thinks he made a good choice. Wow. No, think about that again. Wow.

My Three Sons: Yes, they’ve made me want to sit in the middle of Costco and cry. Truth be told, it’s happened on too many occasion to count. You know what? That crazy behavior is what happens when I got the healthy, clever children that I kept hoping they would be. So, boys, keep driving me crazy if it means you are growing and thriving. (And, for all the times I’ve encouraged you to read more, don’t start with this post.)

My Pets: I’ve been fortunate to have the companionship of many loving and loyal furred or feathered friends. You either get this, or you don’t. In either case, I don’t need to say more.

Friends: I seriously doubt that I’m most people’s cup of tea. I’m opinionated, and, well, I’m me. Somehow, in the course of the last 45 years, I’ve come across a  group of truly fine individuals who genuinely care about me. What a wonderful thing.

So, overall, I think that, if I didn’t wake up tomorrow, I’m delighted with the time I’ve had. And, ideally, isn’t that the test by which every day should be judged?

That said, I’m feeling pretty confident, maybe even a bit cocky at four o’clock in the afternoon, that I have a pretty good chance of waking up tomorrow. Given the odds, I’ve got a few things I’d like to work on in the next 45 years.

Drink Less Coffee and More Water: I’ll start with the easy one. If I can’t get it done in the time that I would normally be awake, it can wait till tomorrow.

Worry Less: If the last 45 years has proven anything, it is that most things work out. Even when the really bad stuff happens, like waiting for your father to take his final breath or losing a child, you survive. You aren’t the same, but you may in fact be a better, more compassionate person. More importantly, worrying didn’t change one thing about the bad stuff.

Rely a Little More on Something Bigger than Me: Here, I’m not talking about God  or a formal religion, or maybe I am? I don’t profess to know all the answers or even a sizable portion of them. However, I have noticed that things are better with love and compassion. Moreover, when acting out of love and compassion, it feels like everything is connected in a bigger way. And, referring back to the previous paragraph, things tend to work out. So, maybe I should just rely on that a little more, and a little less on me.

Take Time to Enjoy Stuff: This one is beyond obvious, and yet I goof it up every time. I love to swim, hike, ride, do yoga or just walk the dog. Playing board games with my kids is fun. I want to learn to play the piano, at least as well as my boys. I’ve got untouched tubes of watercolor paint and enough stashed yarn to knit a slipcover for Sacramento. Don’t ask me about unread books or blank journals. Just volunteer to make the dozen boxes it will take to move them to the next house.Yet I don’t take time for the simple things that make me happy. Why the heck not?

So, that is the plan. Check back with me in 45 years to see how it worked out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check-In

Posted on by

This poor little blog has been sorely neglected. I can’t believe I haven’t posted since June. A check-in is well overdue.

I’m making steady progress on the practice I detailed in my last post. Homeschooling has resumed, so my free time is very limited. However, I have gotten into a habit of rising before 6 o’clock in the morning and banishing my boys to their rooms with books or toys until 8 o’clock in the morning. That and setting my coffeemaker to perk at 5:50 have given me two hours for myself to read and exercise. I hope in time to add some writing to this.

Getting down the details:

Current reading: Labyrinth by Kate Mosse and The Creative License by Danny Gregory. I’m also enjoying working through exercises in the latter.

Current exercise: I’m genuinely enjoying 35 minutes per day on the elliptical. I intend to work up to 50 minutes. Once I reach that goal, I will work in some swimming, yoga and fitness ball workouts. I will resume horseback riding lessons very soon as well. With the coming fall weather, I also hope to get back to biking and hiking with the family on weekends.

Current knitting: I have successfully completed one full set of rows of the Priceless White Diamonds pattern. It’s only taken me at least a year and a half dozen attempts, but I’ll take it.

Current piano practice: My boys have resumed their piano lessons, and I thought I would model good practice habits by picking up my own studies. I continue with Hanon’s The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises and Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course. I also practice scales and am attempting to learn Bach’s 6 Kleine Praludien. I don’t have high hopes for the last one, but I will enjoy the challenge.

Current recipes: I have been seriously expanding my cooking repertoire of late with the help of Clean Eating magazine. Among my latest feats have been Lemon Chicken Scaloppine with Spinach, Broccoli and White Bean Macaroni and Cheese, and Italian Pork and Tomato Soup, I’d try to hot link the recipes, but I’ve liberally edited them because I can’t leave a recipe alone, so hot linking isn’t possible.

Current writing: This is where I need the most improvement. My first goal is to attend to my three blogs a bit more routinely. After that, I’d like to start a longer creative project. It feels like something is skirting the edges of imagination. I just need to focus on getting it on the page.

That’s it for now.

Continue reading →