Eat, Pray, Bird

 

“I am a better person when I have less on my plate.”

 
~Elizabeth Gilbert,

  Eat, Pray, Love

 

This is one of my favorite go-to lunches when I am out birding, although most times I share the boiled eggs with dear hubby. Two seem a little much. I am careful about my salt so I eat them plain, and I love fruit as a pallet cleanser, so the meal is just about perfect. I don't always grab Starbuck's, I bring my own lunches as well. Later today, for example, I will be packing a half ham sandwich, two mandarin oranges, a thermos of soup, two cookies, and a Baby-Bel Gouda. It sounds like a lot, but most of the time I skip breakfast. As you might expect, Bodega Bay gets COLD in winter, so as I said my soup is a must, so its soup of tomato or chicken noodle for me. Yum!

 

I love going on long drives with hubby, and Bodega Bay has become a favorite since we decided to become birders. I have seen some truly wonderful birds. The Bald Eagle. The Eared Grebe and one of my absolute favorites, the Common Loon. Right now, there is an impressive list of birds reported in, and around, Mitch Brenner's house. I love that particular spot for birding. The Bonaparte's Gull took my breath away, it's a stunner, and one was reported this week. And of course, both species of pelican will be present. Can you tell I am excited? It's worth the 119 mile drive! As I mentioned in a previous post, I am hoping for 10 birds. 15 would make me smile all the way home, and 20 will make me sleep happily for a week! 

 

Here's to traveling lightly and with hope! 

 

Birds I've spotted in the past in Bodega Bay

 

 

My New Lunch Horizons

'When engaged in eating, 

the brain should be the servant of the stomach."

~Agatha Christie

Mmmmm... lunch! I used to say, Mmmm, Mmmm good, but that is yet another part of my life which changed because of Trump. You see, he used to have a business advisory committee, made up of different companies. GM, Campbell's, General Electric, you get the idea. Well, it lasted about 6 months before Trump opened his mouth, and stupid, once again, came drooling out. Profoundly stupid. If you're not particularly into politics, you can read all about it here. 

Suffice it to say, Trump took a tragety, made it about himself and completely alienated those around him. It was Trump being Trump. So why do I have a can of Progresso Soup in the photo? Well, to be honest, most of the advisory board resigned in protest to Trump's actions and words early in the weekend, and it felt to me that Campbell's resigned because they saw the ship sinking, rather than because it the situation didn't represent the Campbell's values as a company. Half the board resigned over the weekend, Campbell's, and a few others early the following week. I know that doesn't sound long, but it felt to me like forever.

I know it wasn't, but real time and Trump time are two vastly different times. It is surreal to think he has been in office less than a year, and he has managed to cause so much divisiveness. Some that didn't exist before he took office, but some divisions did... and he uses folks to his advantage, to further divide Americans over American ideals and values. He is a master at playing folks, and sometimes the passion just takes over, and before you know it, the breach in understanding occurs, and the wall goes up.

In some ways it was all for the best. I have switched to Progresso Soup, which is amazingly delicious, and according to their website, they are Non-GMO and contain no food coloring or MSG. The believe is sustainability, and they have a line of organic soups that look delicious, which I will be trying next! The Tomato Basil was soul hugging tasty, and I paired it with some cheese toast. OMG... it was so good, a short nap had to follow! It was happiness in a can! LOL. Progresso is a product of General Mills, and I admittedly don't know a lot about them, but I will do some research. I try to not purchase from companies that go out of their way to hurt people, (cough... Hobby Lobby) but life gets busy, and in Trump's America, you never really know where the next punch will come from. Right now, I am just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!

If you like tomato soup, consider buying Progresso Tomato Basil. It's fabulous! And don't forget to pair it with the cheese toast, because to do otherwise, would be just silly!    :) With to cooler days of autumn, is there anything better than a big bowl of soup to chase the chills away? Well, maybe a cup of cocoa, but we will share that adventure for a different day! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Leaf Of The Day

September 28th 2017

Stockton, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :) 

Yep, Still Alive, But...

"Politicians are people who,

 when they see the light at the end of the tunnel,

 they go out and buy more tunnel."

~John Quinton

Donald Trump For President? Huh? Last summer when I heard he was ready to run for president, I was kind of shocked, then I laughed, rolled my eyes and said... "Yes! Finally something is going right! This should be highly entertaining! At the time, I was in a crappy hotel room in Turlock, California, which isn't terribly surprising, because Turlock, California, is one big crap heap! If you visit there, the three sights you will see most often are, rednecks, and their tank topped significant others, cockroaches, and cows. Occasionally you might also encounter hairy spiders the size of a redneck's fist, but I am told that is somewhat of a rarity. The day I encountered one, I was told that the particular type of spider I encountered mostly live in trees. Great... a tree dwelling spider. Fun. I wondered if it could fly, and then for the next couple weeks always wore a hat when venturing out of the hotel room.LOL. Like Donald Trump's run for the presidency, after the initial shock and fear wore off, it eventually became funny. I can laugh now, but at the time it was high drama!

Fast forward to the present. I have a fun memory I can relive and share here on Ellipsis, and that makes me happy. I like having a blog. I like to share things with you. I like it when you leave your opinions on things I talk about. I really do. I must because as of next August, I will have been blogging 13 years! We are in an election year, a national election year, which is exciting to me because I am a hopeless political nerd! I love reading about politics, studying it's history, and I even enjoy reading about politicians biographies. I like finding out why things happen, not that there is always an answer, but sometimes if I can just get a little insight I feel better about things. You know what I mean?

Well, I have spent a lot of time doing just that! So much so that I have caused myself some nerve damage in my right hand from Carpal Tunnel syndrome. The doctor says I need to spend less time obsessing on Sarah Palin and more time resting my hand or the damage will a permanent condition. My right hand is numb most of the time now, and when it isn't it has pain shooting up to my shoulder, and I did it to myself. But jeeze... how am I supposed to NOT make fun of that snowbeast Sarah Palin? Since she hit the national political stage she has made me cringe, and when I take it too seriously, I have to let it out! And now, after Donald Trump promised her a position in his administration, should he win, I am less amused with her, and more frightened that it might actually happen! Yikes. She is amusing, but more than anything, she is dangerous and it really isn't funny, so I need to talk about it, even if no one agrees with me, or visits my blog.

So, I have to take some real time off from online activities, when I hand tries to heal yet again. I am taking my doctors advice and giving the blogging a rest. I am going to take my pal Jeff's idea and look into Dragon speech software. And I have decided to post to my blog twice a month, when I am online anyway to pay bills. I will check in, let you know I am okay, and update you on my hand's progress. I don't want to have long term damage, so I have to listen to the doctor. My future blogging schedule will be as follows...

February 14th

February 27th

March 15th

March 17th

March 18th

March 27th

April 15th

April 29

May 15th

May 29th

Back full time in June.

The month of June is my goal. It's also when California holds its primary. I can't miss that! And let's face it, this summer is going to be amazing! Election season, and all the amazing things to go and do and see! But really... nothing invigorates me like a good political fight! I am still a bit on the fence about my candidate. Hillary is someone I trust completely to handle women's issues, but Bernie has a proven track record also. I would like to have a woman lead, because let's face it, woman approach things completely different then men do. I think having her elected might just change the way women are treated in the workplace, and maybe, just maybe, women will finally make what men do for doing the same job! It's time for a woman! But Bernie really appeals to the progressive inside me. It's a touch decision. One thing I do know... I won't be ordering any campaign merchandise until after the primary! In the past, every time I did... my candidate imploded into a big ball of gone. Just ask John Edwards, the day after I ordered that cute little refrigerator magnet!

:)

See you February 14th!

Mood: Hopeful

 

Photograph: "Lunch At Panera On A Winter Day"

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Hot Stuff

"I believe in getting into hot water... it helps keep you clean."

~G.K. Chesterton

RRC: Hot Stuff

Has it been 2 weeks already? It must be because it's time for an all new Round Robin Photo Challenge! This time it's all about Hot Stuff! Karen has left this one up to broad interpretation. Hot Stuff... as in spicy. Hot Stuff... as in heat hot. Hot Stuff... as in weather. Hot Stuff... as in food. You get the idea!

Let's Start With Food...

Corned Beef. March 17th 2008

And Now For Some Spice...

Red Pepper Flakes. Dublin, Ca. July 2007


Whole Cloves. November 2012

And finally about the photo at the top. That was my lunch, one cold day last December, when Alan and I went out to grab a bite before we went to the Carousel in Tilden. It was perfect. Buttery. Cooked just right, and hot off the grill!

Okay, no it's your turn. Do you have any Hot Stuff to show off? If you want to play along I know Karen would be thrilled to have you, and there is still plenty of time to sign up. Just click the link at the top of the page to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog! That is where you can find all the information you need to play along, plus get the links to the other Robins that are joining in the fun!

~Me :)

What Does A Semi-Professional Wannabe Photographer Eat For Lunch?

"The history of every major Galactic Civilization tends to go through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we ear?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch.'"

~Douglas Adams, The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe

Breakfast? No, this girl doesn't have breakfast all that often. Yes, I know, it is the most important meal of the day, and it's got a lot more viable choices than it did when I was a child and artery clogging early morning meats and eggs where all the rage, but I just rarely partake of the breakfast ritual. Just don't... don't know why... just don't. But I do admit to dashing off, from time to time, to gitchy little 24 hour diners with Alan from to indulge in midnight eggs. Midnight egg white omelets I should say! Yum. What? Being older than God isn't boring at all!

Lunch? Yes please! I am a lunch girl. I am hopelessly addicted to a couple cute little national chain soup chains, and you might find me from time to time at Panera, ordering YUM YUM YUM. And like yesterday, Starbucks will yell at me, in a soft seductive tone, you want me for a nooner... you know you do! Blushing. Sighing. I say "Yes, yes I do." My favorite Starbucks indulgence being a Seasonal Fruit cup and a Egg Salad Sandwich. The two together only add up to 580 calories, which makes for a light lunch. It's good to eat lightly when you are chasing down public art, or walking the streets in San Francisco looking for inspiration.

It is one of my favorite lunches, and it does my body good! :)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

New Monday Photo Shoot # 24: Plastics!

"There is so much plastic in this culture that vinyl leopard skin is becoming an endangered synthetic."

-Lily Tomlin

New Monday Photo Shoot #24: Show us something made of plastic. If it's unusual in some way, so much the better.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

When I read what this week's photo shoot topic was, I immediately looked around my desk for PLASTIC objects. To my dismay, I have already featured most of the items on my desk in previous entries. My blood glucose kit is almost exclusively PLASTIC, with the exception of the needle used for the lancets. But what a bummer as a photo subject. I have a PLASTIC bottle of Magic Bubbles on my desk, that could be used, but I kinda had that in mind for an upcoming update entry about Elvis. I have tons of pens, and pins, but nah... BORING! Hmmm... do I own anything PLASTIC that might be considered unusual? I probably do, but nothing was coming to my mind. With my inspiration standing in the blank position, I decided to break for lunch.

As I put the fixings for my noontime meal on a lovely PLASTIC floral tray, it hit me. An idea, not the tray. I realized that most of my Monday lunch was PLASTIC. I was eating a lovely, healthy salad, in a new PLASTIC salad/dessert dish I purchased a couple months ago. As a side dish to my lunch, I was going to have a Motts Strawberry Applesauce, which is served in a lovely PLASTIC container. LOL. Not included in the photo, but which also figured into my PLASTIC lunch were, a fork with a blue PLASTIC handle and PLASTIC bottle of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice. :) So, when you consider that I do check my blood before and after I eat, I would say that 90% of my lunchtime experience today was PLASTIC! I am not really sure if that is a good thing, or a bad thing! LOL. I do know I enjoyed the still life PLASTIC photo shoot experience. :)

"I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody is plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."

-Andy Warhol

-OndineMonet
"Plastic Still Life At Lunch"
Berkeley, California
June 8th, 2008
Afternoon

Curious Carly Goes To The Surgeon, And The Surgeon Says...

"Health food may be good for the conscience, but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better."

-Robert Redford

So far, so good. I went to see the surgeon last Monday, and the news was a bit mixed. First of all, I will need to see two additional doctors. Sigh. I am ok, but I am just kind of going with the flow at this point. It seems I need to see a plastic surgeon, because of all the skin grafts I will need, after they remove my glands and lymph nodes. So, no surgery date is scheduled yet, and my next appointment, which will be with the new surgeon, will be at the end of August. It feels like things are being dragged out, but I think that is just me feeling anxious about everything in general. Over all, I am dealing just fine. I have stopped worrying about the actual surgery, it just doesn't seem productive at this point. Worrying is rarely productive I suppose, but it does have it's place. I am learning to let myself have the wiggins, for a day or two, but while I am in the worry mode, I also try to research the source of the fear. That always make me feel better. So, as far as the surgery goes, it is just a case of hurry up and wait... you know how that is. :)

I am doing well with my new eating habits as a diabetic. Too be honest, not a lot has changed for me. I always loved vegetables and fruits, and when I did have meat it was generally turkey or chicken. Although I will admit to having the occasional juicy hamburger obsession. LOL. I LOVE fast food. Sigh. That has been the biggest change in my diet, cutting the fast food runs, especially the late night ones. LOL. I am keeping a nutrition diary now, for keeping count of my total daily intake of calories, fats, sugars and carbohydrates. I am not really dieting, but rather eating with more awareness of what I am actually putting in my body, and making the food count for something. Take the lunch in the above photo, as an example...

1 Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Breast (Sizzler) - 140 calories
1 Cup Broccoli pieces - 30 calories
3 Large Strawberries - 20 calories
1 tbs. Lea & Perrins Steak Sauce - 25 calories
1 Snack Pack Sugar-Free Chocolate pudding - 45 calories
1 10 oz Kern's Light Strawberry Banana Nectar - 45 calories

Total - 305 calories for lunch

And It was delicious. The chicken was from leftover from my dinner at Sizzler the night before, I added some Mrs. Dash to the broccoli, and then just took my time enjoying my lunch. :) But like I said, it wasn't a lot different from what I would have eaten anyway. :) Next Wednesday, August 15th, I have a class on diabetic basics, which also includes a whole hour devoted to nutrition. That is the class where I will also learn how to use my OneTouch Ultra meter. All I know right now is that I will be checking my blood sugar, three times a day, for the rest of my life. Ok, that part isn't so easy, and I am a little tender sometimes about it, but heck, life is a series of new challenges and opportunities, it's up to us what we do with them. Right? Frankly... I am considering myself a lucky girl for the chance to grow, and for the amazing support I have from Alan and Elvis. And who knows, maybe through this adventure, I will become a food photographer. Tee Hee. :)

-OndineMonet
"Lunch With Carly"
Berkeley, California
August 6th, 2007
Noon