11/26/07 - How could I not mention my Toshiba Laptop computer? Probably
because it's so much a part of my life that I take it for granted. I have a Satellite M
series because of this website. I need a lot of memory in order to do pages,
especially when I forget how many pages I have open.
When I first got it, it was so powerful I was afraid of it, and I was also afraid of
hurting it. But it's been resilient and friendly. I love it! (Well, you can see that I
have it in bed with me. )
When I got my first laptop I could not believe that
it had all the things my old computer had, in a tiny
fraction of the space: modem, hard drive, the whole
kit and caboodle. And, having a touch pad instead
of a mouse is great.
Because of my brain injury I use mine to help me remember things I need to do,
and things I've done. You'll notice how many web pages I have that talk about
what I'm doing. Partially that's because I like to write, and partially that's because
things I don't write down I forget as if they didn't happen. So, my computer is my
lovely memory repository.
Health Boundaries Bite
Today Is a Whole-New-Day things --
"What?" (to quote David Letterman).
Here's what I mean: a few years ago a weather man said that dry air felt colder
than moist air. So I got Crock Pots for different rooms to put moisture into the air
during the winter (Santa Fe is VERY dry). And, yes! It made an amazing
difference to the feeling of warmth in my home. (I'd take the lids off periodically.)
So, now that I have solar but not enough to run electric, oil-filled radiators and I
don't have money for a wood stove, nor was I sure I would be able to consistently
start fires if I was cold when I needed a fire, I'm thinking that a series of Crock
Pots will heat a room quite nicely.
I'm drawn to this functional,
contemporary look; the large
size will hold heat well.
There's nothing like coming
home on a cold winter day,
opening your door and being
greeted by home cooking.
(This is reminding me of when
I was a Realtor and it's making
my mouth water.)
This is a sensational price. It's only a quart and a
half smaller than the one above. Hmmm. Which
to choose?
Code: 5Q4R
11/19/07 - I've ordered two of the stainless, 6.5 quart one, which my confirmation
email says is round. They're 400 watts each, so I will be able to heat both at once
with my 1000 watt inverter. I think Del will be able to make me a long "table" for
them out of my old deck wood, which is nicely grey. The supports can be two
large Cadmium red pots that I have. Full of earth as they are, the pots will hold the
heat. In the spring I can take the pots back out to my deck. (I've revised... 12/5/07)
I'm feeling quite happy not only because I think this will keep it from getting
dangerously cold in here, but also because I love solving problems. In fact, as a
child, the most satisfying toy I ever got (next to my bike) was a set of Chinese
puzzles purchased at a store in Wausau that was devoted entirely to toys. I had my
choice and I chose the puzzles.
Now I know that puzzles come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, when I lived
in Monterey, when I was young, my friend drove a Scout. I forget where Vicki and
I were going the first time I rode in it, but I remember clearly that there was a
clicking sort of knocking sound inside as she drove. I remember looking around for
what could be causing it, deciding it was a particular bit of metal that was vibrating
rhythmically, and putting my purse over it to stop the vibration. That ended the
sound. Vicki commented that everyone who had ever ridden in her Scout had
mentioned the sound, but I was the only one who had ever done anything about it.
11/20/07 - Crock Pot heating looks
pretty good, doesn't it? This is my
favorite one from years ago. I lost two
ceramic liners to others when I couldn't
go out last year to bring them in. I had
been using them to heat my water for
bathing in the sun. (I've had serious
water problems for a long time and it's
easier to find an alternate means than
to keep being disappointed by plumbers
...)
Last November when I went to vote,
the City of Santa Fe's ride program left
me outside in the cold and dark for an
hour. They lost my appointment to
take me home. So after that I was sick again with pain in the muscles that tetanus
has affected.
I couldn't go outside for months. Actually, I could ... I used the ride program again
in December last year to take papers to the Appeals Court for filing, and again I
was left outside, but this time for only about 45 minutes, only it was colder. So,
again I was unable to go outside because of the pain and by the time I was able to
go out, the water from rain and snow that had collected in the ceramic liners had
frozen and caused them to break. The only reason this one didn't break is that the
inside is stepped to fit into the Crock Pot heater, so I guess when the water was
freezing it was able to expand up the steps. The other two liners were straight
sided. I should take a picture of the one I saved to use as an underground container
of mint roots... were I able to get some mint growing in my garden. (I had it at my
condo and on Vereda de Pueblo.)
11/21/07 - Recently there were two telly
programs which caught my attention: one
related to parents wanting their children to
achieve at an early age and encouraging
study at the near exclusion of play; and the
other was a dynamite pbs program on aging
and the brain in which puzzle solving and
physical activity were shown to keep the
brain healthy and functioning as well as it did
at a much younger age.
Of the people in the aging program, my
favorite was a nearly hundred year old man
who exercised 5 minutes every morning, and
that was it. I just LOVED it because I have
had the most spectacular results with three
minutes of exercise a day. I've lost over 11
inches around my waist and I was losing
inches consistently even when I was eating a dessert a day. I've documented my
slimming experience on a web page and lots of people visit it, but I get the feeling
that few take it seriously because it doesn't sound real to them, given what we are
constantly told by people on television about how much we need to exercise.
I think the reality is that we don't need to do very much exercise ... it just has to be
more than we were doing before, and if it's done relatively early it sets our
metabolisms at a higher rate for the rest of the day. But most importantly, we need
to be patient and not mind that it takes a year of our time. That's really key. One
of our biggest mistakes is to link weight gain to fast food and to a perceived need
for fast weight loss (through surgery or intense exercise and diet).
I can't help but wonder if the desire for fast weight loss predates fast food, going as
far back as Biblical times when people "fasted." I wonder if they were dieting
because they wanted to quickly lose weight, but contemporary writers seized the
practice to make a point about penance, Advent and Lent. I wouldn't be surprised.
Today people spend thousands of dollars for fast results from surgery, and often
spend even more for subsequent surgery to remove the skin that is left hanging by
fast weight loss. Whereas with patience, exercising three, maybe five minutes a
day, the body loses weight and has the time to take care of the skin problem.
I am reminded of a woman who was helping me a few months ago: She was using
gym machines for an hour a day three days a week and couldn't shed five pounds.
I suggested that she try simply walking around her garden in the morning before
she did other things. (My exercise consists of walking around my garden... when
I'm well enough.)
Because I couldn't afford to keep her on, I don't know how she's doing. But I
would be tempted to guess she didn't try it because she didn't believe it was
possible that so little walking would make a difference.
Which brings me to the building blocks above, the wonderfully colored building
blocks. I used to love building blocks when I was a kid. My son loved them when
he was a kid. I think the beauty of building blocks is that they can be used to create
things -- all different things -- and the more things we create the more creative
ideas come to us. I think getting into the habit of expecting creativity from our
minds, and accepting the creativity when our minds present it to us is refreshing
and vital, the way that drinking water is. I think creativity is what allows us to
escape the chains of some television messages.
I also think that we can't lose weight easily if we are scared and impatient. I've
noticed that the days I push myself to do many tasks, and expect to have lost
additional weight for my effort, I am disappointed. Whereas when I casually and
happily walk around my garden, my body is relaxed and lets go. I think when we
push ourselves without any play that our bodies become too stressed to let go of
weight. I think that's why when we're afraid of being fat, we tend to gain weight.
So... maybe these wonderfully colored building blocks from Montgomery Ward
would make a great gift for some child you know this Christmas, if you celebrate
Christmas, or possibly a gift for the festival of lights... or... a gift for the pure fun
and joy of it.
A gift that basically allows a child to learn about creativity and believing in
themselves, their own creativity.
Safety Message
from Alex Toys:
We test each of
our products
thoroughly to
make sure it is
safe for children,
both in the design
of and the
materials used to
make it. We test
to make sure that
there is no lead in
our products.
11/21/07 Later - While I was looking at
other toys at Montgomery Ward I found this
"bed tent" -- there are three models, one
that's blocks of color, one that's flowers and
butterflies, and this one for boys. I like the
vibrant colors of this one!
The reason this bed tent caught my attention
is that just the other day on a forum
someone was talking about how to conserve
heat, and he was going to build a room
within a room for himself so that he would
be heating a lot less space during the winter.
His plan sounded way beyond my skills, but
it also sounded pretty clever if the main aim is not to spend a whole lot on energy
during the winter.
I don't have a whole lot, so I was particularly interested. I began to think about
how a tent might be easier to put up than a whole room... but even a ridge pole for
a tent seemed beyond my skills, so I was thinking I might just put a sheet over my
headboard, which is pretty high, when it gets really cold. But that was a little
depressing to imagine.
So that's why these Tent Beds are so smile-making to me. For less than $70 I can
get one of these and put it up on top of my bed... Eccentric? Possibly, but I really
bet it will be warm... the only thing is this one is so masculine, but the colors are
soooo vibrant.
11/22/07 -- Oh Oh. The battery monitor I was going by isn't doing what it said it
would do. It's still saying my batteries have a ton of energy for me to use, but my
inverter is beeping because the energy is too low to continue to be used without
hurting the batteries. So, darn!
I just loved the idea of heat from Crock Pots. And, it was comparatively toasty in
here yesterday until the beeps.
I'm going to go walk around my garden to rev up my metabolism... and then I'm
going to work on this page because things that are fun probably produce a certain
amount of heat along with joy.
Thank you to everyone who has come and looked at this page. You've warmed
my heart as much as I was hoping the Crock Pots would warm my room.
Happy Thanksgiving to you!
11/22/07 Later - I walked around my garden, leaving my door open to air out the
house. Some gas is discharged from my batteries, so I've made up my mind to
leave my door open each day while I'm walking around my garden. (I'm reminded
of when we used to do radon tests as a part of home inspections, back when I was
a Realtor, that when people opened the doors to the house, they let in enough fresh
air to defeat the test if there were radon. And that in turn reminded me of how
much more healthy my Polish grandparents were than their brothers and sisters
who had less money and tried to keep all the heat in. I think fresh air is vital.)
I also put up some tin foil in my living room. I know, horror of horrors! But when
I did the tin foil experiment in my garden it clearly worked amazingly well. I was
going to get Shoji screens and put the tin foil in them, to sort of pass the tin foil off
as a decorating decision. (I have been wondering if the old tin ceilings were
adopted because of the way that tin reflects light.)
I forgot to mention that when I came in from my walk around my garden that
it felt really warm in here compared to outdoors.
Many hours later -- This has been an entirely Great Thanksgiving.
11/25/07 - Well, I suppose there aren't that many people who want to live in a tent
inside their homes, just to stay warm. But... say you didn't have much money, like
me, then it might be something to consider because it is toasty warm inside in
comparison to the rest of my home. (I wish I had a thermometer so I could tell
you the exact difference.)
Check out their
Alex & other toys.
Okay, so there you have it, that's
my tent! (I think this clearly
illustrates the importance of
buying attractive linens. Chuckle.)
The "bump" at the front is my
laptop computer, that's the
screen holding up this side of the
tent roof. How clever is that?
Basically, I stapled my duvet
cover to the wall. Easy as pie!
Now I'm thinking I may ask Del
to come and put up a wire shelf
to hold up the wall end of the
tent. That would give me some head room even if my computer lid were down.
Now, when I forget and close my computer, I find myself engulfed in cloth.
I'm sure you're wondering what it's like inside my tent, besides warmer. I imagine
you're keen to see how I have it decorated. lol ... So, let me show you.
My cousin just
sent me the card.
It's wonderful and
like some of the
images I've seen
and loved on
StumbleUpon.
I'm reading a book
which will help me
do some new web
pages, and my
whole tent is lit
quite brightly by
my FreePlay Indigo
lantern. So, how cool is that?
Dried beans: 1lb
Onions: 2 or 3
Carrots: 2 or 3
Celery stalks: 2 or 3
Garlic cloves: 2 or 3
Bay leaves: 1 or 2
Thyme: big pinch
Sage: big pinch
Savory: big pinch
Marjoram: big pinch
Conversions:
1lb dry beans =
..2-2.5 cups cooked
1 cup dry beans =
..2-3 cups cooked
1 can of beans =
..about 3/4 cup dry
Don't use raw/dry
kidney beans --
A telly program
while I lived in
London said raw
kidney beans have
a toxin that's
destroyed by
cooking over a
certain temperature,
not by length of
cooking. So kidney
beans, dry, are a
NO for Crock Pots.
Say you live in a
tiny flat, how
great is this for
pretty, small space
cooking?
Rinse
Remove any stones
Place in CrockPot
Chop and add
Peel and add
Pepper & olive oil
( I don't find it
needs salt.)
Add deep water,
cook while at work
& welcome home!
Welcome Home
Bean Soup
Thank you SO much to
everyone who's left a
message. I had no idea I
would get so many
lovely messages when I
put this response box on
this page.
And, keep the questions
coming.
Warm Tortoise
finds Winning Buys
