Pie-Baking and Me

Blogging

I have had a respite from blogging since May (or longer). I did not even blog at all in the month of June. The main reason I am writing some now is that a friend I rarely see told me she missed my blog posts. At a good-by party for someone else, Nancy asked me if I was still blogging and that she missed seeing what I posted.

What a surprise! I did not think anyone noticed. Although I realize that blogging friends and other friends have treated me with patience and understanding, I am pleased that someone told me that my blogging posts were missed.

This is probably a poor time to start again, because tomorrow (Wednesday), Chuck and I are making our annual trip to WA State to visit our daughters in Seattle and Chuck's parents in Bellingham, plus friends that still live in the area. Going on a trip means busy-ness keeeps me away, but I will try to put some pictures and comments about what we are doing up.

The weather has been unseasonably warm/hot in WA State, so we hope that the 90 degrees weather is behind them. Chuck and I are too accustomed to being inside air-conditioned houses and find non-air-conditioned homes to be uncomfortable when it is so hot.

Luckily, where we will be staying in Seattle is at our long-time friends' home, and they have a basement that stays cool. In fact, that is where Chuck and I will be sleeping!

Silly Introvert

Wisdom!

Friday Five: A Little Bit Random

Deb brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

I have been busy writing “professional” papers, where it is required that staid, measured prose be properly footnoted, annotated and credited. I am tired of living there!

However, my creative brain is somewhere in the land of strange to illogical. So join me in my flight of thought and tell us:

1. A color that you enjoy (and where you find it)
Green, and with spring comes the bright fresh green of new leaves, especially on the mesquite trees.

2. A food or drink you have discovered recently that is just da bomb!
I LOVE the soup recipes found in The New England Soup Factory Cookbook. One of my favorites is Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup, with the recipe found here.

3. A simile for tiredness

4. A random picture from your phone, camera or computer

Very random picture of Ben's dog Troy

5. Your least favorite bill: car mechanic, dentist or plumber?
Probably car mechanic, because that usually means something major has gone wrong--lots of charges for labor.

BONUS: If you are going to have a Lenten practice or discipline, what is it? If you have a book or on-line resource, be sure to share it!
My friend Nancy sent me a book to read for Lent, so we'll be reading it together even though she lives in California and I live in Texas: God for Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Lent and Easter. Another book I like is Small Surrenders: A Lenten Journey by Emilie Griffin.

Empty!

by MonkiFenn

That's how I feel but am trying to remember:

"Ignore your inner nagging thoughts. They are seldom accurate perceptions of what you are actually achieving. It is deeply unfair to criticize your navigation skills when taking a journey into unknown territory. Try not to demoralize yourself. I call my first draft “the Lewis and Clark.” Any freaking way to the coast is the correct way! Do not criticize yourself for the odd wrong turn, the weather slowing you down, having to stop for supplies. There is no bad route when you are on a voyage of discovery. Just keep going!"
PEN DENSHAM

Cinnamon or Panic?

Church Christmas Pageant--in the 21st century

A Different Thanksgiving

In honor of my vegan and vegetarian daughters:

And here is an article about new trends in the American diet concerning such holidays as Thanksgiving.

Change in Perspective

This past Monday was my father-in-law's 88th birthday, which is truly amazing in my perspective because neither of my parents lived to be 80. The very next day was our youngest daughter MJ's 24th birthday.

Maybe because I spent all week last week in Austin helping and holding sweet little Emma and maybe because Emma looks a lot like MJ looked as a newborn and maybe because I always remember my baby's births on their birthdays. . . . BUT I realized that when my MJ was born 24 years ago, Chuck's dad was only 64. . . . THAT is my age (almost) now!

As a new parent, I did not think of our parents as being anything more than "parents" and "older" and now I am in that position. It is so weird for me to realize that I am the same age as Chuck's dad when MJ was born.

I am appreciating both sets of our parents much more now. It is interesting to see another perspective.

Why Cats Purr

As a woman, did you ever wonder?

By using Zite on my iPhone, I found the formula for a woman's BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). It was startling to find out the rather low number of calories (1300+) I could eat to maintain my weight--if I sat around all the time. Still, it gave me a baseline idea of the number calories for a non-active day.

"The National Institutes of Health reports that the best way to lose weight is by taking in fewer calories than you use. That does not mean you shouldn’t watch what you eat. In fact, by not limiting your calorie intake to a number formulated to suit your age, height, activity level and gender, you could sabotage your chances of getting to an appropriate weight.

"Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, which is sometimes interchangeable with your resting metabolic rate, is a calculation of the number of calories you burn when using the least amount of energy, such as when you’re asleep. By determining how many calories your body uses when doing nothing, you can establish how many calories you need to take in each day to maintain — not lose — your current weight."

How To Calculating Your BMR:
To calculate your BMR use this formula, which is specifically tailored for women:
655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years ) = BMR

From here.

Goals in Life

Be Open!

I need to remember this on our vacation, especially with my perceptions of how people are acting towards me.

I'm Jan and I'm an Introvert

DOMA Is Unconstitutional

Life: "Mediocrity Edition"

This is too easy to do in retirement and sometimes during vacations:

Jesus Heals

Blogging and Me Lately

Yellow Highlights

I have the habit of highlighting parts of books that I particularly like. You should see my copy of Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr! My daughter AE criticized me for this practice, which I understand--but haven't stopped doing.