I’ve been getting ready for my niece’s wedding this weekend. I was overjoyed when she asked me to be one of the readers for her wedding. I’m really looking forward to celebrating this milestone in her life.
But, like a lot of women, it’s stressful for me to choose what I’m going to wear. I have four siblings who have superb taste in clothing. They always look exceptional. I am the one who is overweight, and I tend to lead a very casual lifestyle, so when it comes to a family celebration, I get a little crazy……well….a LOT crazy, about what to wear.
Monthly Archives: October 2003
Implants
The news this morning was about studies which have been done in Finland, Sweden and the United States. It seems that women who opt for breast implants are three times more likely to commit suicide than women who have not had the surgery.
It’s likely that women who choose to alter their shape surgically will be unhappy with how they look even after the surgery. They may be unable to see themselves in a positive light no matter how good they look.
It’s a sad commentary on our society that we are unable to accept our bodies, and that we STILL prize a look that requires an anorexic life style.
Winding down
It’s way past my bed time, but I wanted a chance to blog before I call it a day. We have a guest tonight, so I spent part of my evening cleaning. I laid a fire and lit it before she arrived, along with some vanilla scented candles.
DH and I covered the plants at the front of the house with light plastic tarps. We are supposed to have temperatures drop to about 23, so we’re expecting our first hard frost. I don’t know if the plastic will be adequate protection, but the heat radiating off the bricks may sustain the plants for another night.
The dog and cat have been fed, and most of the dishes have been washed. The clothes have been folded, and the house is closed up for the night.
I like this time of day. I wish that I could find a compromise between having the quiet of the house to myself late at night, and having to get up early to get a start on my day. I particularly like that my phone stops ringing around 10:00. When you were a kid, did your parents teach you that you weren’t to make phone calls after 9:00 unless it was an emergency? I tried to teach that to my stepchildren, and they thought I was crazy.
Tomorrow we have the last of the preparations for the wedding on Saturday. I have the last of my clothing shopping to do, and Mother and I have appointments for manicures.
The fire is starting to die down, and I’m just about out of tea. Time to toddle off. Good night all.
Recycling
In 1991, the Great Wall of China became the second largest man-made structure in the world. The largest was the Fresh Kills Landfill, serving New York City. It is now the highest point on the east coast.
Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every HOUR! (Now you know how Fresh Kills outstripped the Great Wall.)
For every glass bottle recycled, we save enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for four hours. (That makes us just about even in our household.)
One pound of recycled steel saves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 24 hours.
Recycling and reusing the material in “tin” cans reduces energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, solid waste by 95%, and water pollution by 76%.
Under the Tuscan Sun
I’ve been reading “Under the Tuscan Sun” this summer. I pick it up now and then and read a few chapters, then set it down to work a bit more. I keep coming back to it, and it’s rare for me to read a book this way.
I’ve been delighted with Frances Mayes commentary on the rennovation of a house in Tuscany and how they came to adopt the Tuscan attitudes about food. Toward the end of the book she writes about the background of Tuscan cuisine. She suggests that la cucina provera (the poor kitchen) where leftovers were used up, and there was little extra in the way of ingredients, is the basis for much of the Tuscan cuisine in our more abundant times. The Tuscan cook makes use of what’s at hand, grapes, olives, oil pressed from your own olives, beans, mushrooms, mint and salad burnet. The cuisine is hearty, generally peasant in heritage, and revolves around bread, and pasta. Now I know where bread salad must have been created.
If for nothing else, get this book and read the recipes she shares.
There was one other line that caught my attention. Mayes wrote that she had heard that our bodies have the same proportion of minerals that the earth has. Supposedly, the percentage of zinc and potassium in our bodies is the same as those found in the earth. This led her to wonder if we have an innate need to emulate the earth’s push toward rebirth.
When I was younger, I would have said this was just coincidence, but now I believe that even the smallest details around us are part of a greater plan.
If you haven’t read this book, do. Even if you go to see the movie, read the book. And, when you decide to try the recipes……call me! I’ll bring the wine.