When is a Potato Not a Potato?

That's easy. When it's a Spud from Idaho.

There's an old Irish saying: Only two things in this world are too serious to be jested on, potatoes and matrimony.

Well, I don't know about matrimony (I think that's worthy of a few jokes) but potatoes are one of the greatest sources of potassium, and that's no joke.

Max Gerson M.D., the great natural healer of degenerative diseases, said, the two things necessary in preventing degenerative disease are a healthy liver and a high level of potassium.

Do you eat potatoes? So many people don't. Potatoes get a bad rep from those who avoid carbohydrate and yet, these same people will eat french fries. The nutrients of the potato are lost when it's fried and it's a real bummer to the liver. Most of the minerals and vitamines are in the skins so you get the greatest value from potatoes when steamed or baked with the skins.

A good way to get all the value of the potato is to cook slowly (with skins) in a small amount of water with a chopped leek and red pepper. Then mash everything together with the water. I know, sounds like a lot of night shades but the Gerson clinic uses this recipe and serves potatoes once a day in their cancer cure.

I remember when we were kids out hiking, we'd build a fire, wrap "spuds" in green wild-leaves and bake them in the coals. OMG what a feast. We always ate the skins. The best part.

Multi-task Anyone?

I woke up this morning with the feeling of anticipation that I had something important to do today. It hit me. Today is my appointment with my Medical Intuitive. I don't have to leave the house. He calls me on the phone and tweaks my health by mentally scanning my body. He'll suggest a slight change of diet or perhaps a new herbal supplement. He'll check the metals in my body ...... left from years ago of bad dentistry and mercury fillings in my teeth.

I started cutting the carrots and apples for my morning juiced drink.

I'm chopping away for my drink and Cody is watching and whining for her breakfast. Her food consists of a vegetable stew, bison burger, oatmeal, egg, 2 tsp oil. I wrap and freeze most everything ahead of time. So I drop my chopping and make her breakfast.
In between getting Cody's food together, I start washing some dishes that were left in the sink. I hate getting up to dirty dishes but I must have forgotten them, last night.
.I'm getting ready for a garage sale. A lot of furniture has to go as the house is too crowded. Sorting through and tossing out is so difficult. Working on some CD's.

I haven't taken my morning ionized water, so I fill my pitcher and some jugs. I'll need the water to start the oatmeal.

I'm cleaning out every drawer. I poured the contents of a drawer on my bed and I'm hurrying to get that back in order.

As I work, a grocery list pops into my mind. Every so often I stop and add something to the list.

Better throw a load of laundry in the machine. The basket's full.

Have to get the oatmeal cooking. I slow cook it most of the day in a crock pot. But, don't tell anyone I'm using electric.

Let's see. I got most of those little tid-bits done so now I can wash the greens that I want to juice with the carrots and apple. I use a few drops of Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide to wash all the vegetables I eat. Spin, juice and I can finally sit down and enjoy my morning veggie drink.

Women are so efficient at multi-tasking. Maybe it's the training we get from having kids or perhaps we were just created being able to do a thousand things at once. It's not stressful nor do we follow a script. We just do it!

Car Show According to Marilyn

This is another post on my best friend, Marilyn. I've introduced her in other posts. Our friendship has been steady for over 50 years. We talk on the phone nearly every day.

One Sunday, when Marilyn's kids were little, she and her husband decided to take their kids to a car show.

On the drive into Minneapolis, their car began sputtering and was in peril. They pulled into a service station, where they were told the car problem could be fixed but it would take at least an hour. Having no other choice, they went into the small cafe to wait for their car.

Behind the service station, the kids discovered a grave yard of old wrecked cars. The time passed quickly for them as they climbed in and out of old cars, pretending driving and could even play with an old bus. The one hour, of course, stretched into 2 hours, then three hours before Marilyn's car was repaired.

Marilyn and her husband decided it was too late to drive to the car show but didn't know how to tell the kids. What a disappointment it would be to them.

They had nearly arrived back home and were about to tell the kids how sorry they were for not being able to go to the car show, when her son said with animated enthusiasm, "Thanks for that fun time at the car show. It was the best time I've ever had. " Marilyn's girls chimed in too. "Yeah, that car show was so much fun. Can we go there again?"

Kids. It's like, "There's got to be a pony in all this horse manure."

Car shows. Shiny sleek models of the latest in cars. Look at the glitz and glamour and what car company can out-feature the others.

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Let's Hear it for the Corsets

I'm waiting for my Granddaughter. We're going downtown to shop the fancy Corsetier. (That's bra's to you Victoria's Secret shoppers).

Webster's definition of corset: A closefitting undergarment worn chiefly by women, to give support or a desired figure to the body.

Hot diggidy zeuks......

I remember the 60's when I was burning my bra. The price of a good bra today, I wouldn't think of burning it. Now I'm excited to find a good corsetier.

My Granddaughter's 30 and I'm 80 and we love to hang out together and go shopping.

Adios

Pay Attention to Your Fears

I live at the base of a steep mountain. It's quite a cardio climb, with a few switch backs in the paths. Cody and I climb to the 1st bench, enjoy the view and start back down.

The whole mountain range is vast with paths going in all directions. Most people hiking the mountain have dogs because the leash law doesn't apply there. There's a fair percentage of bikers and another group of bronzed runners. Each has their own agenda.

When I reached the 1st bench there were 3 young men milling around the bench. One was sitting on the bench empting the pebbles from his shoes. Another, nervously walking around the bench and the 3rd man was sitting about 15 ft away on a rock. He was black, quite heavy, huffing and complaining about the climb. I don't mention color as a racist statement but a person of color really stands out in Montana.

The man on the bench got up and I sat down. The two white men were talking and I finally realized they were talking to me. They were asking me questions; things like, "did I live in Helena, etc." It was at that moment that I really studied them and although they didn't look like vagrants, they didn't match any of the usual categories of people who hiked the mountain.

Suddenly I was seized with an instinctual paralyzing fear. Even Cody was acting weird. She was circling us in a manner I've never seen before. I could feel their eyes almost penetrating through me. Then the tall, thin one came quite close to me and said, "If you live around here, you must live in a really nice house."

With that odd statement, my fear rose to immediate panic. I'm alone with evil men, miles from help. I had a cell phone ...... but ..... All I wanted was to leave, to run down the mountain, but I also knew I couldn't show them I was afraid. Then I remembered the old cliche, that the best defence is an offense and I turned the situation around and started asking them questions. I asked if they lived here, were they on vacation, did they like hiking , etc, all the while slowly edging my way to the path. They were reluctant to answer but the tall guy said they were from California. I tried to keep my voice cheerful and chatty, like a garrulous old woman and said I had to go.

They then did another odd thing. They went over to the black man and they all sat down in some tall grass where you could only see their heads. They were watching me and talking in low voices. As I started down the steep part, a pretty woman appeared coming up the path. She would have to pass right by these men and I wanted to warn her without getting their attention. As she approached me, I said, "say" rather softly. She kept walking. I repeated it two more times but I think I saw a blue tooth in her ear. She didn't hear me, but she kept walking straight towards those men.

Cody and I went down the steep, gravelly path as fast as we could. Now my fear was for the young lady. Should I call the police? Yeah..... and tell them what? "There are three men on the mountain and a woman is walking by them?" They'd say, "Crazy old lady." That would be that.

When I got home, I called a friend and told her the story. Then she told me a story. From my description, they were the same men she saw at the laundromat when her machine had broken. Helena has a pre-release facility of around 200 beds and I'm sometimes hearing of them walking away or hiding in people's homes. She further said about the laundromat, the energy of the three men was so dark that everyone unknowingly moved to the opposite side of the room. She knew they could have only 3 passes per day and every one of their hours had to be accounted for. Someone would have had to drop them off at the mountain and pick them up if they wanted to hike.

She asked if they looked like they just got out of prison. Silly question. How would I know what anyone looked like who just got out of prison. She said they behave differently because they're not used to being social or interacting with others. Yes, this must have been what I picked up on and what made my fear alarm go off.

I had another friend who had been on the review board when the facility first opened. He would mention it when any of his men escaped. Other than than, I never even thought of the place, being here. Just because the 3 men had spent time in prison, it didn't mean they were planning to do physical harm to anyone. Most likely, they wanted to rehibilitate and live a life again.

My message is this. DO pay attention to those sudden flashes of fear. Your body instinctively knows and is trying to protect you. These men obviously did carry traces of a dark, evil past, or they would't have been in prison. Pay attention to the signals your body receives.

Dogs and Kids Go Great Together

Herding dogs (I just call them cowdogs) and sedentary people do NOT go well together. Dogs and kids could go up and down a slide all day long. The perfect combination. Dakota (Cody) found this adorable little girl at the park. So much energy. Aren't they great together?

This is What I Call Congeniality

We gotcha Sprite, We gotcha Dr Pepper, We gotcha Coke, We gotcha Pepsi

Ice Cold Icy Nicey Get em While They're Cold Only a Buck

Congeniality? This soda machine sits outdoors, in front of a house in a residential area. Going for a walk and thirsty? Just insert your buck and out pops a cold drink of your choice. Oh dear, but be careful where you dispose of empty soda cans.

Libra Tames the Beast

Today's the day. Grouchy old Saturn says "bye bye" to that hard working Virgo and merges into lighter pastures. Maybe this makes sense to some of you who are versed in astrology and to the rest of you, this is just gobbledee-gook.

Never fear. I'll explain. Planets are like people. We move around this earth and meet other people. Some change our lives in the best way and then again, some not so good. Planets do the same thing. They move around the universe and bump into other planets, some good and some not so good.

Every planet has it's own unique features (just like people) and Saturn is kinda like a stern patriarchal father figure. You don't ever want to argue with him. I've always thought of him as having very bushy eyebrows and if he points his finger at me and says, "That's the way it's going to be," I've learned to keep my mouth shut.

Then we have houses, 12 of them to be exact. Houses also relate to people and how they keep their house. Some are messy, some neat, some with designer furniture, some with antiques.

Libra is the house where Saturn is going to visit for the next 2 1/2 years. Whewwww. Thas'a long time for a house guest but believe me, it's going to make that old grouchy Saturn into a sweeter person and that will make "your" life better.

Libra's sign is the scales, you know, balance. Boy, do I know Libra. My Moon (meaning my emotions) is in Libra. Means I can see both sides of a situation. Most politicians have strong Libra qualities but it can also give them slivers in the butt from sitting on the fence. And hey, ladies, Libra is really good for relationships, too.

This whole Saturn , guest of Libra period, will put lives a little more in balance. Relationships will go a little smoother and when the Granddaddy looks at you with those busy eyebrows, he may even have a twinkle in his eyes. You'll find the beasts in your life are a whole lot tamer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To help ease your way into into better diplomacy, below is a 25 sec. clip of a hula dancer. I like to watch her because "moving" is so innate with her and you can see it comes from her heart.

Dam Sam ..... You Made My Pants Too Short

Another RIP. That's 3 in a row. In place of "Three Weddings and a Funeral" I could turn it around to "Three Funerals and a Wedding." But I don't know anyone who is getting married or who even wants to. :)

It did make me think. (Thinking's always good). GRATEFUL. That word popped into my mind. I like the meaning of that word..... meaning thankful. But if you take the word apart you get full of grate. Word, GRATE, alone means harsh or scraping sound. I don't get it. Can someone please help me out.

I am GRATEFUL ....... (skip the harsh) for 3 things in my world.

1. Organic Food

2. A Gas Stove

3. A Wood Floor

Silly list? Not when you poke at it a little.

1. Organic food sustains your body and promotes health.

2. Cooking methods include, Wood, electricity, gas (primarily). Gas relates peacefully to the body. Electricity, nah, but a lot of people use it and I use some electrical appliances. Wood is the most peaceful of all because it's natural. But we're not cutting down any more trees unless you count the ones the pine beetles have killed. (Microwave... triple nix)

3. Wood Floor. When you stand you become grounded. You're one with whatever your feet touch. It should be naturat.... so it's either wood or dirt. Rock (tile) is OK but as I get older, it doesn't have a "give" to it but it does have a cool, connection to bare feet.

All three lead to "good health." If you have good health, you have everything. Just ask someone who is chronically ill. Dang ..... being sick must be a bummer.

If anyone is getting married, let me know.

Music Under The Stars

What? "Music Under the Stars" by Helena Symphony

Admission: Free

Where? On spacious grounds of Carroll College

Spanish Theme: Selections from Carmen, Bolero, Espana

Thousands of people flock here with chairs, blankets,and snacks once a year to socialize and listen to Helena's summer concert. There's no way to get an exact head count because it's free & people wander in from all directions. My daughter lives a few houses from the College and with such a great number of people milling around, it feels as if it's in her yard.

She & I weed-whacked all day to help add beauty to the landscape, as people walked past her house. Geno, a friend & artist is painting the old house she's restoring, a little at a time. Geno is having an art showing this fall, but for now he's adding a little fresh color to her house.

Holy Moly, were we tired. But..... after an epsom soak in the tub and a wonderful organic dinner, we took the dogs for a walk. We hadn't intended to attend the concert. Big signs said, "No dogs."

But we went up on a hill and listened from there. I made a very short video of the whole day but at the end of the video I got distracted with 2 little girls who were dancing to their own drummer. Kids are so uninhibited and natural at anything they do.

This Mel Gibson Thing

Media dwells on the sensational. Of course, it draws more readers. I've found this out, just from blogging. If you watch any news at all, you can't avoid the Mel Gibson tapes that are smeared all over every news program. I've always thought Mel Gibson was a decent guy and that's why I liked him as an actor. He had been with his wife Robyn for 28 years and seemed to lead a peaceful family life. That is until he met a Russian (blowfish lipped) starlet, Oksana. He and his wife divorced. He and the girlfriend then had a baby girl together.

Now, 8 months after the baby's birth, 3 audio tapes mysteriously appeared to the media, in which he was shouting profanities at Oksana, some of them while she was supposedly holding the baby. The strange thing about the tapes is, he was visibly shaken, accumulating esculating anger, while she appeared to grow calmer. He accused her of extorting money from him and being unfaithful.

This is what I pieced together from listening to radio talk shows and reading various news articles. For a month previous, Oksana and her lawyer had, indeed been trying to extract money from Mel and he was protected by his lawyer. Mel was an alcoholic who had been in AA for many years. Evidently, the news of Oksana being a common gold-digger/cheat (and cementing the deal by having a baby), drove Mel back on the booze.

If you listen carefully to the tapes, his voice is the drunken outburst of a man who had just awaken to the fact that he had been hoodwinked as the typical older wealthy man by an ambitious gold-digging young female. Parts of the tape sound like an anguished animal, more directed at himself, as he discovered he had foolishly destroyed his marriage, his wealth, and probably his career. She was baiting him into rage and the more she acheived her goal, the calmer she got and her voice became lower as she was surer of herself. She accused Mel of hitting her in the face and chipping her teeth. A dentist examined her and said there was no evidence to her face that she had been hit and no teeth were harmed, although some of the media erroneously reported her teeth were knocked out.

His ex-wife, Robyn testified for him that in their 28 years together, he had never been physically abusive to her. It was then testified that a physical abuser will always abuse each woman he's with. Oksana also refused 2 million dollars settlement because according to her lawyer, she would have to share custody of the child.

I'm not condoning Gibson's actions, only reporting the circumstances that could lead to such an uncontrolled outburst.

Men, Narcissism and Testosterone ......... oh, let's put a little age on the man. Add "no fool like an old fool." Watch a life-time career flutter out the window. Move over Gore.

As Long As I'm in A Funereal Mood

Praises Be ......

I found a plumber.

This is not meant to be irreverent nor am I crying in my beer (joke, I don't drink) but I'm just stating the facts. My plumber of 20 years, died a few months ago. He had just turned 50. What a devastating loss to his wife and children, but he also left behind countless widows. Like me. He was a gentle, educated man, who learned the plumbing trade so he could live a valued life of quality in a quiet, Western town.

He was my comfort & removed real estate worries. If I were away, he had a key and checked the house. The house in town was built in the late 1800's & is a plumber's nightmare. The Bed & Breakfast in the mountains has 5 bathrooms, 2 hot water heaters, and a laundry with lots & lots of pipes. I admit, I had been spoiled and pampered by such a devoted plumber. He was too young to die, too kind, too alive. My dear plumber, RIP.

Most women have a dependency on their hair stylists. For me, it was my plumber. Yesterday, I found another plumber. He calls himself "The Olde Tyme Plumber." His wife told me he tries to give "old fashioned service." He came to the town house, unclogged a slow drain, and checked the old furnace. He filled the room with pampered confidence.

Some people are soooooo important in our lives, it's impossible to live without them. Like my Oral Hygienest. But that's another story. Life is good again.

Helena Montana on Starting Kindergarten Sex Education

Last Chance Gulch in Helena Montana

Helena Montana has become a hotbed of controversy over the school board's announcement of a sex education curriculum that would include kindergarten children. It is not a "how to manual" but more general information to protect young children from sexual predators and educate them with an awareness of personal danger.

Montana is no stranger to Liberalism. In 1917, Montana sent the first woman to congress. Jeanette Rankin was elected to two terms for the House of Representatives. This was criticism turned positive for women.

Today I took my little camcorder downtown on Last Chance Gulch. I made the video below. Helena is an anomaly. Many people had an opinion but only three people would go on camera. I had absolutely no idea what they would say or which side of the fence they were from. I am only reporting what was told to me and this is in no way reflecting my personal opinion.

Bon Bons

Hey there Cutes.

Put on your Danc'n boots

Come Dance with me.

You'll want to go dancing after you eat a few of these bon bons. More cacao ...... more magnesium. For the joy and health benefits of Cacao, look on my "Cacao Breakfast Pudding" post.

These tasty tid-bits can be as chocolaty as you desire. I'll give you a sorta basic recipe but you can adjust to your taste.

Use a food processor.

1 C. almonds (remove skins)

1 C. Cacao powder or nibs

1/2 C. coconut

Agave necter to taste

1 or 2 tb. pine nuts (optional)

small amount of spring water. Maybe 1/4 C. Go easy & slowly as you want to be able to make balls

Process everything to a ball-rolling consistency. Roll small balls in any of the following..... finely chopped coconut, cacoa powder, any finely chopped nuts. If you are lucky enough to have Virgo patience in your astro chart, roll them into small, round, even balls, (not the lumpy kind like mine) Then come to my house & help me color code my underwear drawer. :)

But seriously ..... a tip on almonds, the most alkaline of nuts. Almonds contain a small amount of amygdalin (better known as laetrile which is cancer curing/preventative). But don't go crazy on this nummy food as it's high in fat UNLESS you have a degenerative disease, then eat up. When I was young, I used to eat several apricot pits (laetrile) a day to help avoid degenerative diseases. But after the Feds found out it would cure cancer.... bye bye pits. I know many people who now get them from Mexico or grow their own.

How to remove almond skins ....

You want almonds to be raw ....... heat them on stove in a small amount of water. DON'T BOIL. Just bring to a boil so almonds are heated. Drain H2O and toss almonds in a bowl of ice cubes and water. Now, pinch almonds between thumb and finger & the skins pop right off. It's rather tedious but I sit in front of the tube with 3 bowls. The bowl of almonds in the ice cubes, 1 bowl for the skinned and another bowl for the skins. As long as I'm "doing it" I skin enough for almond milk. hummm ..... ever tried the milk?

Wanna know how to make almond milk?

Toss a couple handsfull of organic skinned almonds in the blender

Chop up 3 or 4 medjool dates (be sure to remove pits) & toss in

Add spring water.... enough to make it a milky consistency

Mix. I use a high speed blender so everything gets chopped up. If your blender isn't as powerful and a little residue is left, you can squeeze the milk through a cotton bag or cheese cloth.

Tip.... For sweetner, you can use any dates or agave, or honey or even maple syrup. Date are known for curing throat & chest ailments.

I recently happened to spot organic corn flakes in the health food store. Shades of my childhood. Used to love corn flakes. The bag just jumped into my cart, so I thought, oh what the heck ..... Soon as I got home I poured a bowl of the crunchy flakes and added cold almond milk. OMG I thought I was that skinny little Indian again who they were always trying to "fatten up." I only recommend corn flakes as a special memory treat. It's a once-in-a-while thing. Remember ..... when ever you cut a grain, you are devitalizing it. Far better to eat the whole grain. I eat whole grain oatmeal every day. You can cook it slowly (all night is good) in a crock pot. Nice & creamy. I go against my belief system when I cook with electricity ..... ex. crockpot, food processor, blender, etc. but they are such labor savers and I'm healthy. If you are sick, don't put this extra stress on your already over-burdened body. It's far better to cook with gas & use hand chopping.

What Car Would You Buy?

I would buy this 1929 Desoto if I could afford it, have a place to protect it and have a chauffeur to maintain it. But after a lot of consideration, it's not worth the added annoyances. I recall I was once talking to a Gypsy and somehow the conversation got around to refrigerators. He didn't own one and said he didn't want one. I asked why, of course, dumb but curious me. He said a fridge would be nice to keep his food from spoiling but think of the expense and it would completely ruin his life. He went on to say that if he had a fridge, he'd need electricity and an outlet to plug it into. Ah ha.... that means a house. A house means a mortgage. A mortgage means money and money means a job. No thank you. He'd rather deal with the rotten food.

Some years ago my old Plymouth went kaput, finito, the end. My husband, never having put his energy into cars, simply said, "Go out and buy another." I knew he really wouldn't fuss about the price or what kind of car I chose, so that was no problem. Well ..... he might have raised an eyebrow if I'd come home with a Lamborghgini (I don't even know how to spell it so how would I know how to drive one) but I didn't. I came home with a little Nissan pickup. I think the price was about eight or ten thousand, but so long ago I don't recall. People were shocked at my choice. My husband could certainly afford a more expensive car and a truck, yet!!!!! Why would I chose a truck? It was way before it was stylish to drive a pickup ..... especially for a woman.

At the time, I was into antiques and a truck was perfect for my scroungings. It was small and easy to park. Zippy for little vehicle. It had AC and a radio with disc player (the old tape thing, but it was long ago, remember). It also had a heater, of course, which I didn't really need because we lived in Florida at the time. It met all my needs. I loved it.

What would I buy today? Well, now I live in Montana & do mountain travel. I recently did buy another Nissan X-Terra.... bright red. I put the doggie shield in the back and Cody has her little apartment. Still suits my needs. If I'm stuck in the winter, I shove it into 4-wheel and zip I'm out of the muck.

Cars are rather fun. What would you buy or what did you buy? It's been said that you can tell a person by the car they drive. Is zat so? That would be a good conversation. Tell me. I want to see & hear about kj's "pride with Grandmother sitting on the bumper." Gotta love that car.

Cacao Breakfast Pudding

Cacao Pudding

You'll have to adjust this to your taste. I'll just give you some basic ingredients. I use a power blender, a Blendtec but I'm sure any blender will do the job.

1 tai coconut, use water & the young meat

or you can use a banana

an avocado or 1/2, depends on how much you're making

2 or 3 heaping tb. of raw cacao powder or nibs

there again, depends on how chocolatey you want it

Around 2 handfuls of greens. I used arugula for this but you can use spring greens, romaine, lettuce, spinach. I like to use the lighter greens rather than kale because the taste isn't as strong but Kale gives you a lotta bang for your buck.

I sweeten to taste with agave.

I add favorite superfoods as bee pollen, hemp seed, goji berries,

Go a little light on the liquid at first or it may get too runny, although always remember to use enough liquid so it won't stress your blender.

Here's the story of my "weeding day." Montana has had rain every day this spring. Bozeman has always been a valley of rich farmland and along with all this rain, every growing thing seems to explode into life. So do the unwanted weeds.

I made a big dish of the above pudding and ate half of it before I went out to pull weeds. I wasn't in the mood but it had to be done. I weeded 4 hours by squatting, kneeling or bending over with my butt in the air. I went in the house and ate the rest of the pudding. The weeding job was only half finished, so back outside to weed for another 3 1/2 hours. Holy Moly..... that's 7 1/2 hours of weeding. I was beginning to feel the stress in my back from the constant bending over but it wasn't anything excruciating. The next day, I was aware of a little stiffness in the backs of my legs. That was it. I'm not trying to say that this is a magic potion that is responsible for allowing you to work all day but I know it gives me energy and something else. I get a real "high" from this chocolate concoction. Have you ever been drunk on alcohol? Of course, everyone has. You know that happy, delerious feeling ...... just before the hangover ........ that's the feeling I get with this pudding. WOW It's a great happy natural high.

Chocolate, Cocoa and Cacao....... What's the difference. The words are all used interchangeably. There doesn't seem to be a rigid demarcation line with the words. Cacao usually means the raw bean and it's often called chocolate, too. Cocoa usually denotes it's been heated and that results in loss of many of it's nutrients. I wouldn't touch "milk chocolate" with a ten foot pole. It means just what it says that milk has been added. The milk will contain artificial hormones that have been fed to the animals and along with that goes a bouquet of pesticide residues. So the cocoa powder will dissolve in water, a potassiium carbonate is also added. You don't need these additives in your system so use the raw cacao bean in either powder or nibs form.

Benefits of Cacao

Magnesium galore. Probably the highest source. Magnesium builds strong bones and balances brain chemistry. If you are eating a Standard American Diet, you are most likely deficient in Magnesium. Women menstrate and they crave chocolate because this is a time when it's easy to get deficient of magnesium. Raw Cacao is also rich in sulfur that builds strong hair and nails and gorgeous skin.

Remember the high I said I got from eating raw cacao ...... that is because it contains anandamide and phenylethylamine. But you can simply call it the the Bliss or Love chemical. That is why Love feels so good because we release this bliss chemical. So therefore, being in love or eating chocolate will give you that same blissful high.

Raw Cacao also contains arginine which increases blood to the penis and that increases sexual desire. Good News. A natural Viagra

Negative Effects of Roasting or Heating Cacao

Roasting releases both tannic and oxalic acids and can cause mood swings, nervousness, anxiety and insomnia

To sum up..... eat the raw Cacao. You can find it at a health food store or you can order it online. I order mine online and always keep a good supply on hand.

My Sister Eileen and Reflections

Tuesday Morning. I awoke to a rather dull, gray day. It promised more gray than just the early morning mist. Bozeman was on my agenda for today so I flipped on the TV weather channel. Instead I got Turner Classic Movies and "My Sister Eileen" popped on the screen. Oh no..... 1955 with Janet Leigh. That movie was my longing, my dream, my lost hope.

I didn't remember Janet Leigh being the original barbie doll. But there she was, on the screen, the exact image of barbie ....... long blond pony tail..... perky, flirty boobs that would put an eye out........ a waist so tiny it would fit a charm bracelet........a stomach with the slight suggestion of a woman ..... and a firm rounded rump (not the Kim Kardashian rump but rounded in a 50's style.) It was like the first time I was seeing her and I'd seen the movie perhaps 7 times. I know why. I was nubile at the time and we never look at what we are, but what we aren't. Janet Leigh's daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis is attractive but it must have been annoying to grow up in the shadow of a goddess for a mother.

All my young life I had wanted to get a one way ticket to New York and dance in Broadway musicals. Be a rockette. Maybe become a star. Live my own life and make my own decsions. But.... (now play doom music) I met this gorgeous hunk of a man who wanted to marry me. OMG I was so young and soooo insecure. If I didn't grab this, no more opportunities would ever come my way, or so I thought. I was smitten with love which was actually lust. In those days, a so called "nice girl" was a virgin until marriage.

Girls, then, were like little lambie pies, that could be herded by a sheep-dog of a male. There was no Oprah, no Dr. Phil, or TV shows that pointed out the pitfalls of a hasty marriage or what values to look for in a healthy relationship. I folded. I put my dream in a box, got married and raised babies. Although I put my dance shoes in "kind of a box," it didn't get put on the very top shelf. I danced, I competed, I had 2 studios, I taught. But it was more like hobby dancing. That was OK, but 10 years ago I had a Vedic astrology reading. He took one look at my chart and screamed, "You were supposed to be a dancer, what happened?"

The above is like part I. When there's a one, there's a two. Here's the two.

That beautiful hunk was my "first mistaken impulse of an undisciplined heart." (Shades of David Copperfield.) I didn't know it until these past 10 years, but Mr. Hunk was a full-blown Narcissist, a Tiger Woods and I don't mean he was a good golfer.

We stayed together 25 years and all that time I didn't have a clue about these personality disorders. Of course, I blamed myself. I'm sure everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about. There's reams of information out there now. When I finally figured out that it was my husband's problem (and not mine) I read every book ever published on the subject. There's one book that summed up my life. I guess we all follow a pattern like little cookie cutters but the book, My Secret Life With a Sex Addict" by Emma Dawson tells it, as if she's quoting my life.

We stayed married 25 years but it was off and on, together and apart. It was a sick relationship, exactly like Emma says in her book. I know no one can understand how a woman can become a victim to a Narcissist. If I were to watch my life on a movie, I would loath the woman and say, "Why doesn't she just walk away. Leave. Take the kids and run?" I can't explain in this little space but we just don't for so many reasons. I'm also a Pisces and at times, we can be the doormats of the Universe.

After 25 years I got away. Not with therapy but I did it on my own and with the help of my best friend, Marilyn. We all have scars, especially my four kids. Mr. Hunk died this past February on Valentine's Day. Marilyn laughed and said what appropriate justice for a sex addict. I hadn't seen him in years and I just breathed a heavy sigh when I heard he was dead.

That's the end of part II but there's a little sequel. I spent some time alone, getting to know me and trying to heal with my kids and I met the Mr. Wonderful. It was different. He had a rotund belly, was kinda short, had a rather buck-toothed grin but he made me laugh every single day. He never lusted after other women and he adored me. We celebrated 25 joy-filled years together before he died. He was like dessert, saving the sweetest thing for last.

WOW ...... What a Turner Classic Movie will do for the old memory cells!!!!!!!!!!!

Country Song My Granddaughter Wrote

Country Song My Granddaughter Wrote

Country Song by Ashly

WAIT ………..Before you turn this off.

I know background music isn’t the accepted thing these days. I’m told that most people find it annoying. Here’s what Matthew MacDonald has to say about background music in his book, “Creating a Web Site.”

“Most people like to browse the Web in peaceful silence. That means no trance-hypno-ambient background tracks, no strange disco beats and no sudden cymbal crashes. This aversion to noise may be due to the fact that something like 98% of all Web browsing takes place on company time.”

But, in spite of all that, give this country song a listen. It’s written and sung by my Granddaughter, Ashly. It’s called “Red River” played by her band, “Little Jane and the Pistol Whips.”

Remember Plant a Radish?

Anybody remember the musical "The Fantasticks?"

Two gardening fathers are talking about their kids, their love & their problems

If you remember the melody, here are the words ....... sing away.

(P.S. It's all a lead-in to what's kept me youthful for 80 years)

Plant a radish

Get a radish.

Never any doubt.
That's why I love vegetables;
You know what you're about!

Plant a turnip.
Get a turnip.
Maybe you'll get two.
That's why I love vegetables;
You know that they'll come through!

They're dependable!
They're befriendable!
They're the best pal a parent's ever known!
While with children,
It's bewilderin'.
You don't know until the seed is nearly grown
Just what you've sown.

So
Plant a carrot,
Get a carrot,
Not a Brussels sprout.
That's why I love vegetables.
You know what you're about!

Life is merry,
If it's very
Vegetarian!
A man who plants a garden
Is a very happy man!

Plant a beanstalk.
Get a beanstalk.
Just the same as Jack.
Then if you don't like it,
You can always take it back!

But if your issue
Doesn't kiss you,
Then I wish you luck.
For once you've planted children,
You're absolutely stuck!

Every turnip green!
Every kidney bean!
Every plant grows according to the plot!

While with progeny,
It's hodge-podgenee.
For as soon as you think you know what kind you've got,
It's what they're not!

So
Plant a cabbage.
Get a cabbage.
Not a sauerkraut!
That's why I love vegetables.
You know what you're about!

Life is merry
If it's very
Vegetarian.
A man who plants a garden
Is a very happy man!

A vegitari-
Very merry
Vegetarian!