Hi,
I am the luckiest lady in the whole world. My health is good, I have all my teeth and I married the right man nine years ago today. Yes, it's our anniversary and to celebrate, we bought a condo. How many women get a condo as an anniversary gift?
Who would have thought, nine years ago, that we would be living in Marco Island? Not me, that's for sure. I now get to add to my list of life's pleasures, owning a piece of paradise on one of the most beautiful beaches in the USA. I am so excited to be officially calling this place home.
Marco Island is unique in that it is a man-made developed community within the 110,000 acre south-west Florida estuarine. This area is government protected and further development is not being allowed. We get to live on an island that is part wild life sanctuary and nature reserve. The beach stretches over 5 miles continuously with the Gulf of Mexico lapping at the shore. This has to be as near to heaven as I can ever imagine living.... And I get to do it with my husband. How lucky can one girl get? Dolphins, manatee, pelicans and the love of my life. What a combo!
We are so blessed and darn lucky. I just wanted you all to know that I appreciate it more than words can express. If I was a gambling gal, today I would put it all on red and I'm sure I would win. No one is luckier than me today.
Xox
M
Day Lily!
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Food, glorious food
Hi,
We eat well in North America, and it is killing us.
I admit to being a lot of a food snob. I try to avoid using anything out of a box, can, frozen package or vacuum seal when it comes to eating. I prefer market fresh when ever possible. Since my passion is food it goes along with my delight in cooking. Creating interesting things to feed people can keep me entertained for weeks on end. I am planning the next meal before the current one is even consumed. I don't eat to live, I live to eat.
Then there is everyone else in Walmart. Given the size of their food stores, it is obvious that my fellow North Americans are shopping in the wrong aisles. A small percentage of the shop is dedicated to fresh produce. I would guess 90% of the space given to food is the processed and packaged varity. The volum of sugar, sodium, fat and chemicals consumed in this boxed diet they have adopted is scary.... And it shows.
I see shoppers with carts bulging with crap to eat. At the check out I try not to notice the garbage laden piles of what they think is food on the cashiers conveyer belt.... Or the largess of the customers waist size. It's in a direct correlation to what they are spending their hard earned money on. I want to scream at them " you don't have to wear a size 28 dress or 42" pant, if you would only give up on the garbage you are consuming. No apples, no lettuce, no real chicken, fish or beef, lentils are a forgien word and it isn't yoghourt without 190 calories of fake fruit flavor in it. They don't even waddle through the area of the store where green things are sold.... Head direct to the freezer cases, do not pass 'Go', collect your heart attack, proceed straight to the hospital ward.
The new movie "The Hundred-step Journey" dealt with fabulous food and was a delight to the senses. In the movie the opening scene had to deal with buying fresh sea urchin in the market place. I could imagine the heady aroma of the fresh fish and spices. It made my mouth water. After the film was over, none of the movie patrons could identify with the market scenes. I felt like I had watched a different movie from them. Where I was swooning over the fresh ingredients the chefs got to cook with, they were appalled at picking morels in the woods or cooking a fish right out of the river. How sad for them. The thought of eating raw urchin made them gag, I was salivating and jealous that I couldn't get my hands on any.
Conclusion: they eat better in India than we do in North America. How sad is that!
M
We eat well in North America, and it is killing us.
I admit to being a lot of a food snob. I try to avoid using anything out of a box, can, frozen package or vacuum seal when it comes to eating. I prefer market fresh when ever possible. Since my passion is food it goes along with my delight in cooking. Creating interesting things to feed people can keep me entertained for weeks on end. I am planning the next meal before the current one is even consumed. I don't eat to live, I live to eat.
Then there is everyone else in Walmart. Given the size of their food stores, it is obvious that my fellow North Americans are shopping in the wrong aisles. A small percentage of the shop is dedicated to fresh produce. I would guess 90% of the space given to food is the processed and packaged varity. The volum of sugar, sodium, fat and chemicals consumed in this boxed diet they have adopted is scary.... And it shows.
I see shoppers with carts bulging with crap to eat. At the check out I try not to notice the garbage laden piles of what they think is food on the cashiers conveyer belt.... Or the largess of the customers waist size. It's in a direct correlation to what they are spending their hard earned money on. I want to scream at them " you don't have to wear a size 28 dress or 42" pant, if you would only give up on the garbage you are consuming. No apples, no lettuce, no real chicken, fish or beef, lentils are a forgien word and it isn't yoghourt without 190 calories of fake fruit flavor in it. They don't even waddle through the area of the store where green things are sold.... Head direct to the freezer cases, do not pass 'Go', collect your heart attack, proceed straight to the hospital ward.
The new movie "The Hundred-step Journey" dealt with fabulous food and was a delight to the senses. In the movie the opening scene had to deal with buying fresh sea urchin in the market place. I could imagine the heady aroma of the fresh fish and spices. It made my mouth water. After the film was over, none of the movie patrons could identify with the market scenes. I felt like I had watched a different movie from them. Where I was swooning over the fresh ingredients the chefs got to cook with, they were appalled at picking morels in the woods or cooking a fish right out of the river. How sad for them. The thought of eating raw urchin made them gag, I was salivating and jealous that I couldn't get my hands on any.
Conclusion: they eat better in India than we do in North America. How sad is that!
M
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Walmart Spa Day
Hi,
I truly hate getting my hair cut. I was happiest when I had my head shaved after my cancer surgery. It was easy, clean and cost me nothing. Who needs hair? It is such work and upkeep for a life of disappointment and a waste of money. Bah humbug!
Having grown my hair back out a couple of years ago (my husband wasn't thrilled with being married to a bald chick) I now have to deal with hairdressers again. Not my favorite thing in the world. I have terrible, thin, straight, fine, dull hair on my head plus a surgically enhanced bald spot off to one side. A hairdressers nightmare if there ever was one. There is nothing anyone can do to improve on this lot so I don't like to to spend any time or money on the whole issue. 'Wash and go' is my only speed when dealing with my hair. If a salon spends more than 15 minutes cutting my hair they wasted their time and mine. Finding someone who will get me out of a barber chair in under 20 minutes is the only criteria I have for getting my hair cut.
My last hair cut was over two months ago so it was well over due for some shaping. Marco Island is over priced for everything, including haircuts so I travelled off the island in search of a decent place to try my luck at. The Walmart has a hair cutting franchise in it, next to the nail salon and Marshall thought 'spa day @ Walmart' was beyond laughable but I thought 'why the hell not'. They advertised $12 cuts on Tuesdays so off I toddled.
I had a lovely young Mexican woman named Maria do a great job washing and cutting my hair then she told me if I bought a $20 gift card I could get my cut for $10 and use the other $10 for my next appointment. It was the best $10 haircut I've ever had.... It was even better than a lot of the $50 hair cuts I have suffered over the decades. Will I win the Miss America contest now? No way, ever, but in six weeks I will be back in Maria's chair and gladly spend $10 on my silly hair.
Works for me.
Xox
M
I truly hate getting my hair cut. I was happiest when I had my head shaved after my cancer surgery. It was easy, clean and cost me nothing. Who needs hair? It is such work and upkeep for a life of disappointment and a waste of money. Bah humbug!
Having grown my hair back out a couple of years ago (my husband wasn't thrilled with being married to a bald chick) I now have to deal with hairdressers again. Not my favorite thing in the world. I have terrible, thin, straight, fine, dull hair on my head plus a surgically enhanced bald spot off to one side. A hairdressers nightmare if there ever was one. There is nothing anyone can do to improve on this lot so I don't like to to spend any time or money on the whole issue. 'Wash and go' is my only speed when dealing with my hair. If a salon spends more than 15 minutes cutting my hair they wasted their time and mine. Finding someone who will get me out of a barber chair in under 20 minutes is the only criteria I have for getting my hair cut.
My last hair cut was over two months ago so it was well over due for some shaping. Marco Island is over priced for everything, including haircuts so I travelled off the island in search of a decent place to try my luck at. The Walmart has a hair cutting franchise in it, next to the nail salon and Marshall thought 'spa day @ Walmart' was beyond laughable but I thought 'why the hell not'. They advertised $12 cuts on Tuesdays so off I toddled.
I had a lovely young Mexican woman named Maria do a great job washing and cutting my hair then she told me if I bought a $20 gift card I could get my cut for $10 and use the other $10 for my next appointment. It was the best $10 haircut I've ever had.... It was even better than a lot of the $50 hair cuts I have suffered over the decades. Will I win the Miss America contest now? No way, ever, but in six weeks I will be back in Maria's chair and gladly spend $10 on my silly hair.
Works for me.
Xox
M
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