An odd topic.

The first time I saw an ostrich up close and personal was at a relative's farm in North Florida. He raised ostriches and emus. The ostriches had huge pens as did the emus, and there was a huge incubator and nursery.

He explained how they would precariouslygo into the pens to retrieve eggs for the incubator. Someone would distract the ostriches as another went in and collected football-sized eggs.

I remember feeding the ostriches snacks and hearing their mouth smack together. I also remembered an old TV episode, Lassis maybe? when a guy had racing ostriches that were kept hooded until it was time to race.

It never occurred to me that people would capitalize on this and offer "ostrich riding" as a tourist activity in Africa. I mean...WTF? Who looks at an ostrich and says "sure I will try that."

You get on a terrified bird that has been hooded, and it runs around until you are pulled off of fall off. Again....WTF. Ostriches are birds, not beasts or burden. You are supposed to hold onto their wings when riding them, and even though ostriches cant fly, how would you like to have someone yanking your arms back with all their weight.

I mean, seriously, people - use your brain.

Struggle.

I call upon them, angels, to keep me free.
I run with the wind: a free spirit.
I lash with the silvery snow during a winter blizzard.
There, when the sun rises like a golden rain of watercolors,
There, when the sun goes down in its prismatic glory of color,
Over the mountains, across the prairie grasses, over man's faces.
Bringing the brooks babbling over pebbles, not wanting to leave the lake, but anticipating the ocean.
The shallow lake ripples, teasing the shore and an eagle passes in flight.

Faces bronzed by a blazing sun.

I call upon them, angels, to watch over me.
I am taken with the wind, and it carries me like an unseen pillow.
I dance with the silhouettes on the trees, leaping with the moonlight.

There, when the mist rises after a summer rain,
There, when the sky splashes gold, bronze, and crimson,
Upon a star suspended in velvet darkness, upon a cloud in a blue abyss.
A rush and a flush like gossamer wings, but not yet, held with pink hands on a purple robe above the crashing, daunting waves.

I call upon them, angels, to guide me.
Guide me not wrong. Guide me straight.
Like a mariner and his stars guiding the ship.


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It's been awhile...

I realize it has been awhile. School started picking up quite a bit; I got a promotion and more responsibility at work; and I've just been busy. Our biggest news is that our diet is now about 99% non-animal. The 1% accounts for the fact that I still love my local, raw honey. There are a few reasons why we opted for the "non-animal diet." I use the term "non-animal" because we may never be truly 100% vegan, but when we aren't, we will only be eating meats that we have hunted or fished ourselves, and we'd eventually like to get dairy goats to make our own cheese. BY doing so, we will not be supporting factory farms, reducing the contribution to the carbon footprint made by factory farms, and we will be healthier altogether.

There wasn't really a defining moment as to why we started this. For example, we both knew about factory farms. We both know about the slaughter process, and we both know the atrocities that can occur due to cutting corners to cut costs. If you're a rancher, we still love you. If you're an omnivore, we still love you. We sure as heck aren't going to go on an animal rights rampage and admonishing all of our omnivore friends.

But what did happen was a kick in the ass that said, "you're not getting healthier. You're not feeling better. You're not losing weight. You're complaining." At the age of 34, I had "okay" blood panels and no (diagnosed) illnesses, but that didn't mean I was healthy. Overweight and realizing I didn't qualify to do some activities I'd like to try because I was over the weight limit is, well, disappointing and upsetting. Realizing that there are people my age who are dying of heart attacks was a bit more......... alarming and terrifying. Honestly, the health aspect of it all is what made me change. I even told my husband, "I can prep my food for us both, and then I can cook a piece of meat for you to add to yours."

I found Forks Over Knives or FOK. I discovered the book first and then the Netflix documentary. I immediately ordered the book, cookbook, and a meal guide: a four week "how to." I was the kid in college who randomly received a PETA DVD, and that moment, I swore off meat and dairy. It took about a week before I walked down the beef jerky aisle, bought some, bought a half gallon of Mayfield whole milk, and devoured both when I got home. Clearly, I did not approach that correctly.

FOK was different. It talked about health first and then animal welfare second. I realize many of my friends appreciate that in reverse, but for me, I knew about animal welfare; I was just attempting to justify it in ridiculous ways. FOK talked about people ranging from okay health to major health issues joining in on FOK and feeling better, getting better, and even reversing some health concerns. It was the health aspect, and it was the number of people who talked about following FOK and saying things like, "I have yet to have a salad since being on FOK." I will say FOK is a lifestyle change and not a fad diet. I had some setbacks the first and second week, but it's gotten much better.

With Week 1, you start with adjusting your breakfast only. Week 2, breakfast and lunch. Week 3, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Week 4, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, the whole nine yards. None of that - rush in and fail mentality.

For example, the start of week 4, my husband and I had the following day:

Breakfast
Coffee
Oatmeal with bananas, walnuts, maple syrup, and cinnamon
AND
Breakfast tacos with crumbled tofu, red peppers, onions, seasonings

Hiking / Snacks
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, seeds, dried cranberries

Lunch
Falafel
Salad
Hummus

Him:
Falafel pita
Tabbouleh
Hummus

Snacks
Nuts
Fruit
Vegan ice cream (yes, it is good!)

Dinner
Chipotle vegan burgers (nope - won't be getting that brand again) with homemade salsa and homemade jalapeno jelly
Mac n "cheese" (made with cashews)

Snacks
Small bit of protein shake

Were we hungry? The only time we were hungry was before stopping for a snack break while hiking. We were hiking, people, and we weren't hungry. AND the food was good!

Now, I have only been 99% non-animal for 24 hours and three weeks prior started FOK, but one thing I have noticed is better skin. Lots and lots of water to flush out my system, and I have better skin.

When you see little things improving, it helps to see the larger picture rather than making a change and having the patience to see it through.

I will create another post when I hear from my husband when he gets home tonight. He works a labor-intensive job so I want to see how his meals today have held up : protein shake, seeds, apple, cherry tomatoes, leftover mac n "cheese", chickenless chicken salad, protein bar.

GA to MT: Why don't we just drive?

Last year my husband and I embarked on a 5,000 miles round trip road trip from our town just north of Atlanta, Georgia to Stevensville, Montana. At first, we had planned on driving our Jeep Wrangler, but when we calculated out the MPG and comfort level, we opted to take our Honda Accord instead (which averages 36-39 MPG on the highway.)  It was my uncle's 50th birthday, and it was my aunt and uncle's wedding anniversary, and we wanted to take a road trip.

I won't lie. I'm a planner. We planned for MONTHS once we knew what we were going to do. I went through and mapped our route (we'd eventually bring a road atlas, printed out directions, and our GPS with us so we knew we wouldn't get lost.) Then we looked at places of interest we'd like to stop. Finally, we booked our lodging along the way and marked spots on our printed directions where ideal locations would be to fuel our vehicle. The entire trip spanned eleven days.

The scheduled spots of interest included Sioux Falls (as in the actual falls,) Wall Drug, Mt Rushmore, Iron Mountain/Needles Highway, The Purple Pie Place, Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone National Park, Philipsburg, Montana, and Skalkaho Pass on the way out. On the way back, we didn't really have anything scheduled other than stopping at a place to eat called "Busted Nut Bar & Grill" (Andrew being a mechanic and all.) Well, after being a bit more realistic, our drive out to Montana consisted of the following stops:

* A lovely rest area somewhere on the Nebraska/Iowa border for lunch
* Mitchell, SD Corn Palace
* Badlands National Park
* Wall Drug
* Mount Rushmore
* Iron Mountain/Needles Highway in Custer State Park
* Beartooth Highway
* Yellowstone National Park
* West Yellowstone
* Yellowstone National Park
* Stevensville, MT

And now it's time to talk about our trip...

Cutting Costs: Cell Phones.

I am sure you've seen the commercials airing in which users from other cell phone providers talk to another provider about what they currently pay per month. These users' bills are normally between $200 and $400 (just for his or her bill, not their family members'.) WOW. $200-$400? There are so many options out there, why would someone ever pay that much for a cell phone bill each month?!

I have used GoPhone for, I don't even know how long. I originally used AT&T when they were Cingular (before Smartphones.) I briefly used Verizon, but the service area couldn't compare to [AT&T] at the time.

I *know* I have been using GoPhone for at least nine years. I use the "pick your plan" option. For awhile, AT&T was preventing iPhone and Blackberry users from using GoPhone. Let me rephrase that: you could purchase an iPhone or Blackberry and use it for calls and texts, but you could not use the unlimited data with Smartphones.

That all changed in 2014 when AT&T decided to allow iPhone users to enroll in a data plan included with GoPhone packages. My bill has fluctuated among $75 and $55 and $50 and such depending on what plan I've chose. But now? Now I am on the $45/month plan with unlimited (anytime) talk and text, and I get 1.5GB of high speed data each month. This does not mean if I use all 1.5GB I don't get any data. It just means when 1.5 GB is used, I get slower data. But you know what? That doesn't really matter.

The ISP at our home offers nationwide hotspots, and several businesses and other locations offer free WiFi. Because of this, I rarely use my data, and that's good because that data now rolls over to the following month if it goes unused.

As a side bonus, when you enroll in autopay (automatic debit from your bank account,) and the payment is successful, you immediately get $5 deposited into your account as a thank you.

My cell phone bill is $40/month. I get unlimited talk and text, and now I get data (if I need if if there isn't WiFi available.)

No one should be paying $200-$400 (or more) each month JUST for their cell phone.

Let's keep this in mind, though....no one can please everyone 100% of the time so I'm sure you will read plenty of grouchy reviews about GoPhone. Like I said, I've used GoPhone for at least 9 years, and I don't see me stopping anytime soon.

The war is here!

My husband and I have been growing container vegetable and herb gardens for a few years now. During that time, we've been introduced to tomato hornworms and the right growing spots for the various plants.

This year we planted a small garden on the side of our house using a variety of containers ranging from one gallon milk jugs to City Picker Patio Garden Kits, and finally 5-gallon HDPE food-grade buckets. As we lease our home, we are unable to plant in the ground, or we could be fined for "improvements on the property."

We planted strawberries and marigolds in one gallon milk jugs and mounted them to our privacy fence. We planted basil, peppermint, dill, and cilantro in window boxes mounted on our fence. Then we planted tomato, marigold, lemon thyme, squash, nasturtium, bush beans, tomato, bush beans, jalapeno, and cucumbers. Of course all of those were in different containers in a line. We made sure we drilled appropriate drainage holes in the containers, and none of our containers sit on the ground (because what would be the point of drilling holes if you're going to cover them with the ground?)

We planted a bit later this year as last year, mid-April, we had a FREEZE...not a frost but a FREEZE here in Georgia that quickly killed our plants (even though they were covered and insulated.)

And the war is here against pests.

Thus far, we have already encountered (in four weeks) spotted cucumber beetles, striped cucumber beetles, ants, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, dogsbane leaf beetles, and unidentified caterpillars (I haven't found them yet, and the wild birds have been snatching them off our plants for us when they find them.) We've done everything we were supposed to do for pest control, and now we have to kick it up a notch. Last year I read about flattening a piece of aluminum foil around the base of a cucumber plant to prevent cucumber beetles. The cucumber beetles laughed at that. We tried planting highly fragrant marigolds nearby (as in directly next to them) - again, the cucumber beetles laughed. This year, we've continued with the tried and true method of eradication (nitrile gloves and trapping them when we see them.)

Then I remembered that my work uses food-grade diatomaceous earth for one of our products. Not only do we use it, but a few months ago we got some 50 lbs sample bags in of various particle size to test, and there they sit - partially used on our shelf. What's diatomaceous earth? Well, it's basically a powder made up of pulverized fossilized diatoms. Remember the diatoms we saw in slides in school? The little wheels and cylinders that look like glass? Yes, those diatoms. Diatomaceous earth, however, is a respiratory irritant so you should use a mask and safety goggles when applying.

Let's see how this works...

Milk, not milk.

Today, we try something new. While not severe, we have minor lactose intolerance issues. It doesn't matter if we drink factory-farmed cow's milk or organic, small farm cow's milk - it's the same response.

I had tried soy milk in the past, and the flavor was..."okay." Okay as in not awesome, and okay as in not terrible. It sort of tasted like the adhesive on the back of older postage stamps. It was that sort of okay. 

I've seen the commercials advertising coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, etc., and as I happen to really enjoy almond (read that as - baked goods go from vanilla extract to almond extract in their recipes) I decided to try Silk's Almond Milk. It was on sale for $2.99/half gallon at Publix, and I had clipped a $0.75/off one half-gallon coupon a few weeks ago. My total investment would be $2.24 (plus tax) so I figured - why not? It's one of the least expensive "let's try this" moments I've had. 

Let's get the nitty gritty about almond milk out of the way before I talk about my review on it:

* 60 calories per serving, 118 calories per serving for 1% cow's milk

* 50% more calcium than dairy milk, (cow's milk - 35% calcium; almond milk - 45% : daily values)
* Vitamin E source, no vitamin E in cow's milk

* Cholesterol and saturated fat free, 10 mg cholesterol for cow's milk and 2 g saturated fat

* Free of dairy, soy, lactose, gluten, casein, egg, and MSG (cow's milk - you do the math)
* Non-GMO almonds, some cow's milk may be from cows fed GMO grains (we aren't anti GMO nuts, but it's worth mentioning for those who are concerned about GMO)

Other nutrition breakdown:
60 calories
2.5 g total fat

0 cholesterol

160 mg sodium

35 mg potassium

8 g carbohydrates

1 g protein

10% vitamin A

45% calcium

4% riboflavin

0% vitamin C

2% iron

20% vitamin E

4% magnesium

Milk nutrition breakdown (1%) :
118 calories

3 g total fat

10 mg cholesterol

143 mg sodium

0 potassium

14 g carbohydrates

10 g protein

10% vitamin A
35% calcium

5% vitamin C

1% iron

The one thing cow's milk has going for it that almond milk does not is protein. Everything else? Almond milk wins in my book. 

My review:

The commercials boast almond milk as being silky and smooth "just like real milk" and a "good milk substitute." I poured myself a glass (see the photo above?) Immediately you can see that it is creamy and smooth and somewhat resembles dairy milk. If I showed you the above picture without identifying it, you might say it is dairy milk, but it's not. 

I purchased the original flavor (I didn't want to be biased.) It has a mild almond flavor, and it is a creamy consistency, but it's not the heavy creamy consistency that sits on your tongue like dairy milk. It's creamy, and then it's gone. It is okay - I could drink it.

However, when you do more research into commercial almond milk, you'll quickly find that all of the good stuff from almonds gets lost when it becomes commercialized almond milk (like protein.) If I was to continue to drink almond milk, I'd probably look at recipes for making my own.