The Accurate Account

When did I get this way and how in the world did it happen? I can remember what my mother looked like at my age. When I was a child, I can remember what it was like to meet a "grown up." When I was in college, I believed that anyone who was not of college age was out of date.  I am now 32 years old and can already notice the attitudinal and behavioral progress creeping towards old. As a teacher, I fall in generation gaps all of the time. Here are some differences I've noticed in myself.  I try my best to save money for "a rainy day" (i.e. the furnace breaks) as opposed to "going out" Kids walking through my yard annoy the crap out of me. (and yes, I do yell at them) I will use anything to get that glowing youthful skin.  My work clothes are modest and don't require me to flaunt to get a tip.  "Going out after work" means I am running to Target My handbag is not a fashion statement it is a status symbol I have new hobbies! Gardenin...

So suddenly summer sprung upon me, half unprepared and yet, more than willing to be thrown into the arms of the sunshine. I find myself staring at the calendar knowing that this time will go by all too fast. My year-round employed friends and family simply roll their eyes, and sigh, "You poor thing." Seriously, take away the sarcasm, and I am going to have to completely agree. Poor, poor me, with an unrestricted amount of time, no children to be pining over, and over a million items on my task list. I think the only other people that can fully understand (and appreciate) my situation, are those in the blue-haired club that spend their days fitting in a game of golf or bridge, a trip to the salon, and bounce grandchildren on their knee. You laugh, but I have something strangely in common with these folk: what do I do with all of my time? Unlike the retired crowd, I have not quite reached the pay-scale of "afternoo...

Nearly 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with pre-cancer in my uterus. This rare condition for someone of my age, has had me on the offence. My goal: I will not give cancer an excuse to enter my body. I had surgery to remove the cells and take monthly hormone treatments to balance off my estrogen dominance. I have changed my diet and lifestyle. The following is my recipe for good health, concocted by my mystery-doctor chef.  Briskly walk 30-60 min. daily Take folic acid, 400 mg. or less daily Avoid soy and soy products, high in estrogen Meat is good protein, eat organic meat, free from hormones Eat Sardines in oil and wild caught salmon, they have Omega-3 Eat fish 2-3 times a week or take fish oil that is molecularly distilled Use organic low fat milk, free from hormones Maintain ideal body weight Avoid refined sugar Avoid fried foods Sleep 8 hours a night Drink clean water, free from heavy metals, chlorine, and fluoride Drink green tea only sweet...

Yesterday, I opened my credit card statement only to be completely blown away by their thoughtful projections in regards to my credit. I have a minor balance of $600.00 on a credit card. Since my goal is to be debt free by the end of the year, every month, I make payments that are more than double the minimum payment due.  Thank goodness for that because what my credit card company told me, was earth shattering. They said that if I were to only make the minimum balance each month (on $600!!) it would take me 1,027 years to pay it off. Yes, go back and read that again because that is exactly what I did. Here it is again, 1,027 years . What is that?? Is that even legal? How can they ask me for a minimum balance, knowing full well that it will take me over a millennium to pay it off? No wonder why our banks are in such trouble. I guess they don't really need any of their money right away. Let's see, how would I feel if my great grandmother to the 25th degree charged her plow? I g...

Brown bag, brown bag, in the fridge..tell me what type of life this is! Everyone  says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that dinner is the most important time for a family. Lunch, on the other hand, is a meal which we rarely neglect; partly because we are usually hungry around mid-day, and partly because our employers actually tell us we have to take one. But, what does your meal scream about you? Are we really what we eat?  Unfortunately, yes, we are. Try out this sample menu: Monday : Baby green salad, roasted walnuts, cranberries, grilled chicken, and Gorgonzola cheese. Warm balsamic dressing and bottle of 0 calorie flavored water. Snack: little pomegranate seeds and honey glazed almonds. Interpretation: I love having lunch with my girlfriends!!! In fact, I love showing off my healthy selections while ravishing my mouth with little petite treats. I may have credit card bills out the wazoo ...

There are some things in my life that I appreciate now, more than when I had them. My dad's coal stove is one such thing : As a teenager, it used to bother me to go to my father's house in the country on the weekends (RD#3 Dalton, PA--just 1 mile from Lake Winola, 1.5 miles past the Baylor Ice Co., on the corner of Freeman Rd and Purdy Rd, right next door to the one-room-schoolhouse and cornfield). As much as I loved spending time with my sister and him, it seemed so far removed from everything. I never even told my friends that we had a coal stove. My father, son of Al Leggat from A. Leggat & Co. Heating and Cooling, to this day, knows more about green energy than Al Gore. When my father bought our house in Dalton, he installed a beautiful coal stove in the basement, which he ran every winter using Pennsylvania anthracite coal. Besides heating the house, the coal stove served many useful purposes. I loved it when my father would fill a metal pot with water, and p...

Jonathan and I went to England for 2 weeks for his brother's wedding. Enjoy the scenery.