For the Love of the Earth and All Things Green.

      For the Month of April, I chose a theme that is Earth friendly. Since Earth Day is in April, I wanted to read books that were about climate change, global warming or had an Earth friendly theme of some kind. I have read some young adult books on this particular theme before, usually with a dystopian theme but I tried to find some adult fiction with the same theme. I really didn't find very many that I had access to. However, as I am finding with this monthly themed reading I found some interesting books that I would not have ordinarily picked out myself. So let's get started with the Earth love.  

     The first novel I read was South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby. This book is way out of my typical choice for reading. Towards the end of the book, there was LOTS of science that was a little above my head, but all in all it was an interesting read. It was about an artist who gets a grant to go to the South Pole station. The main purpose of the station is for scientist to study global warming. There was a group to prove the effects of global warning with one scientist who was trying to disprove the theory of global warming. The politics of global warning was addressed and played into the funding of the project. The main character, Cooper was an artist and received an art grant to stay at the South Pole station. I thought it was interesting that the project included an artist, a dancer, a novelist, and a psychologist. Living at the South Pole takes a toll on a person not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This was a unique book that I would not have typically picked up if I had not looked for books with an environmental theme. It definitely made me stop and think about how being isolated in an area like the South Pole would make an impact on a person. Some of the characters found themselves missing green grass, sunshine, and various foods. Not a bad book to check out if you like to read something that makes you think about things in a different way. 

           

photo from Goodreads.com

      As we leave the South Pole we enter the library. The next book, Weather by Jenny Offill is written in short fragments and inner monologues. Occasionally there are snippets of the main character, Lizzie, and a typical day at the library where she works and interacts with patrons. I thought it was kind of cool that she was a librarian, I always love reading about fellow librarians. She helps a mentor answer emails and letters addressing issues on a podcast that she hosts. As she addresses queries and comments from the public at the library, and deals with answering mail from fans of the podcast, she starts to become engrossed in all things survival. Lizzie's obsession with the change in the weather and how it might affect her world has her second guessing if she is ready for a disaster if it happens. It really doesn't help that she plays "psychologist" for her brother who has addiction issues and her mother who has other issues.  Due to the fragments, this was a quick read; but I don't feel I get to know the characters as well with this style of writing. The format is not my favorite type of book to read, but the concept was interesting. 

photo from amazon.com

          If you really want to find a great read that deals with global warming or climate change, then you need to search through the young adult section of the library or book store. There are lots of dystopian books about what might happen to the earth if the weather patterns change. Such scenarios as moon phases changing and causing huge tides to flood the earth or make the earth's atmosphere much cooler causing things to freeze over. How about rampant forest fires that clear out a whole area or running our of clean drinking water, which is a very real fear for some countries, or even cities. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis is a YA novel about the earth running short of drinking water. Part of the population is wiped out due to bacterial diseases caused by bad drinking water. Many of the population has moved from rural areas to big cities, with multiple people living in single family housing just to find clean drinking water. Those who choose to stay in the rural areas have to defend their clean water supplies like the cowboys had to protect their herds years ago. They stand guard with a rifle until they know the approaching visitor is friend or foe. Lynn has been taught to guard the family pond with a rifle from her roof top since she was a toddler. She and her mom live in their basement and very rarely go into the house upstairs. This is a unique story with unforgettable characters. The grittiness of the YA dystopian is what attracts young readers, but they tend to hook me as well. 

The last title I want to talk about has been my very favorite in this category. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver is a beautifully written book. I listened to it on audiobook and it was read by the author. She has a very soothing voice and she included a soundtrack of the woods with birds singing and crickets chirping between chapters. This is not a global warming themed book, but it is an Earth friendly book. There are three story lines in the book and each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters from a story line. The setting is a rural area on farms and mountains in Virginia near southern Appalachia. Three of the characters have backgrounds in biology and the study of wildlife, insects or moths. All three story lines have females as their main characters that are strong and well versed in their field of study and often stand out in the community. I learned so much about how certain insects help plants that I didn't already know. I tend to be a naturalist myself and enjoy things that are organic and natural, so this book was right up my alley. It was also written very beautifully. I have read some of Kingsolver's books before, but it has been a while. I have read The Bean Trees and The Poison Wood Bible. Both were good books but it has been a while since I have read them and now I am interested in reading more of her work. If you do not come away after reading this book wanting to grow butterfly bushes, start your own bee hive or begin composting, then you didn't pay attention while reading it. I highly recommend taking time to slow down, enjoy the songs of the birds and read this book in a hammock among the trees. 

                            photo by abebooks.com

     We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I have not been able to really cook much lately. I really miss not being able to bake or make some of my homemade favorites. So, instead of sharing a recipe, I wish to share some photos of another hobby I really enjoy, flowers. I am not a cold weather person. I stay cold from around September 15th until May 1st. Once Spring rolls around, I feel so much better. The longer days of daylight, warmer evenings, sunshine just do my soul a world of good. I am not very good at it, but I do enjoy planting flowers. I also enjoy taking walks and enjoying God's creation and taking pictures along the way. So, I thought I would share some wonderful pictures of nature I have noticed this Spring. We have had wonderful blooms and color this year. I guess the wet winter helped to make the trees and plants bloom full of color this Spring. 

First came the pop of trees:

My neighborhood had some of the most beautiful dogwoods this year. I also noticed that the Bradford pears and the red buds were bright as well. I don't think I have seen them as full as they were this year. I have the runny nose to prove it too.

My forsythia in the front yard goes a little crazy each year. Our dog, Phil loves to do his share by helping to "water" my plants.

This beauty was outside of our local public library where I work. Not sure what it is, but it was just so full and pretty for about 5 days then the blooms fell off. 

This is my Japanese snowball bush. It has not bloomed for two years, but decided to this year. It grows like crazy. My husband pruned it severely last year and he thought he may have killed it. However, it is very hearty and came back with a vengeance. 

My knock out roses usually bloom by Derby weekend. I had one beauty partially open this year on Derby. 

This was the Monday after Derby and it was fully open with two more buds starting to bloom. I have a difficult time keeping the leaves on these. Something, maybe Japanese beetles, want to strip the leaves from my roses. I use Seven Dust, which Nannie in Prodigal Summer would not be happy with me. 

My azalea bushes are some of my favorites. I have one smaller one that I just can't seem to get to grow any bigger, and a large shrub by the front porch that was here when I bought the house in the late 1990's. It is a little big and out of control, but my husband pruned it back a lot last year and it looks better than it has in a while. I just can't make myself dig it up for fear of killing it. I love the color. 

Finally, my small potted annuals that I planted on Derby day this year: petunias, small pansies, begonias, sunlight inpatients, and I think some type of daisies. 

And, what has become my favorite hearty flower, the pansy. I planted these pansies last fall at the end of the season right before it got cold. They endured the eight inches of snow this winter and had blooms after the snow melted. Such a strong, yet delicate flower. 

Thank you for visiting my blog and make sure you stop by next month. I am still debating on what topic to read about during the month of May. We will be at the beach for one week in May, so I may just do beach reads. 

Keep reading and don't forget to take time to stop and smell the flowers. 

March Reads- Let's Hear it for the Ladies

      My reads for the month of March are all about the ladies. I read several books that were either about famous women, or fiction books with strong female lead characters. I have really enjoyed doing this monthly themed reading. I am already looking for books to read for my April theme, Earth/climate change/weather themed novels. So, lets get started discussing the books about strong women.

     I will begin with a book that I finished towards the end of February. It was titled Eleanor by David Michaelis. It was a wonderfully written biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. I have always admired her and have read many things about her. This book reads more like a novel and was very engaging. Mrs. Roosevelt was not always a strong lady and she made some poor judgments in her earlier days, but she learned from them and she became a very strong voice in politics. I admire her tenacity and work ethic. This is definitely a recommendation for those who like biographies about historical figures. 

The next book I read in March, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, is the story of sisters growing up in the south in the early 1970's with their widowed Dad who is a preacher. Catherine Grace is a force to be reckoned with and she is head strong. You may say she is a typical preacher's kid, but she is determined to leave the small town of Ringgold, Georgia as soon as she is of age. With the help of her neighbor lady, who was a good friend of her momma's, she learns about life in this coming of age novel in the south during the 70's. You will fall in love with this strong female character and will leave the book wanting to know more. 

     The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder  by Joanne Fluke introduces the character, Hannah Swensen. Hannah is a thirty plus single lady who owns her own bakery in the small town of Lake Eden. Her mother is always trying to set her up with eligible men but Hannah is happy with her life. She loves to bake and she has a demanding cat, Moishe that keeps her busy, plus she always seems to be at the right place at the wrong time to learn about a murder or some mischief in her small town. I really enjoy this series and this is the first one to introduce the characters and the town. There are always wonderful recipes included in the book as well. I just admire Hannah's independence and the fact that she is OK with being a single independent woman. 

     To continue with the cooking theme, The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan is a similar book to the Fluke novels, however it is more of a historical fiction. It is set in England during  World War II. The story is about four women who enter a cooking contest to win the opportunity to be on a radio cooking show. The show is about how to use the food rations during the war to make delicious dishes. How the women's lives intertwine is very interesting and their strength and courage during the war is commendable. How they were able to put together tasty dishes with what little rations they had is unreal. The author also includes their recipes throughout the story which is very cool. This was an enjoyable read if you like to cook and enjoy historical fiction as I do. 

     The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is also a historical fiction. It is the story of the American library branch in Paris during World War II. The women, and a couple of older men, who work at the library are trying to keep the library open when the Nazi's occupy Paris. Odile learns a lot about friendship and loyalty when she tries to provide reading materials to her Jewish friends. Her father feels she is wasting her time, but she says her place is at the library.  If you enjoy Lilac Girls or The Paris Wife, you will enjoy this book about a very brave young lady during the Nazi occupation of Paris. 

     The last book I want to talk about is The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I read The Handmaid's Tale a few years ago and I watched the series on Hulu. This is Aunt Lydia's story about Baby Nicole and follows up with Gilead after Offred ventures into the unknown. I really do enjoy Atwood's writing. She is very insightful and purposeful with her writing. Both of these novels deal with women being treated as second class citizens. The way things are going in the world today at times, it is a little scary about how some of the things she covers in her novels could come true today. The majority of her characters are female in this novel and they are all trying to do what is right and just for women. These are truly worth a read. 

    So I have been trying to learn to make and use sourdough. I have worked with making my own sourdough starter and I then fed it several times to make it active. I then made sourdough bread and my second batch was much better than my first batch. My last attempt was to make sourdough English muffins. They turned our pretty good. I have never been very good at bread making. I think I do not have the patience for it. You really have to let it sit, rise,rest,knead, wait, and I don't always like the waiting. Anyway, if you have difficulty with yeast breads, why not try the sourdough recipes. I did add a little yeast to my bread to give them a little lift. The English muffins did not need the yeast. My husband and I really enjoy the crunchy crust of the sourdough bread. There is just something about all of those little holes that you fill with butter then enjoy it warm. 

My first batch of successful bread. Successful being the key word. It was not my first batch of bread. 

Those beautiful holes that are characteristic of sourdough bread. 

My second batch of bread. I tried making one big loaf and two mini loaves. I just love the crusty top. 

My homemade English muffins. I made them on my cast iron griddle and used the lid of my new cast iron dutch oven to make them rise. They are my husband's favorite. 

Again, those delicious crevices for the melted butter to soak into. 

You can find many recipes for sourdough starter on Pinterest. I had success with the recipe in the book, Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza by Ken Forkish. He explains the process and the steps very thoroughly. 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend.  Hope to see you again next month when we talk about Earth friendly books. 

 

February Reads and Good Eats

    If you know me, you know I love to read. My to be read (tbr) list on Goodreads is up to 437 and I always have at least 3 books going at one time. I have books on my night stand, books on the end table where I sit in the living room and I am always bringing books home from where I work, part time at the public library. Did I mention I am a retired school librarian? So I guess it is just a job hazard to have access to so many great books. I love recommending books, sharing books, and picking out books for my friends. I even have a good friend I used to teach with that called me her personal librarian. I get a kick out of putting reserves on books for her that I think she will like and she gets a surprise phone call from the public library that her books are ready.

      So, when I set my reading goal for 2021, I decided to try to read 100 books this year. I thought about doing a reading challenge of selected books, I even researched special reading lists, but then that didn't happen. I have wonderful goals lately, but Covid-19, the winter blues, and menopause seem to make decisions FOR me lately. So, in January I just finished reading whatever I had started in December. For February, I tried to be more purposeful and chose books by black authors or romance books. I liked the idea of doing monthly themes plus I get to read some books I maybe wouldn't normally pick up this way, so I thought I would share with you the books I read in February. 

     So already I am going to cheat a little bit, the first book I finished the last day of January so I am going to count it with this collection I wish to share with you. It was titled Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. The author is of Bangladeshi origins but his book is about two families of different races and ages, forced together in one home over a long weekend. What started as a vacation in the country in a nice "airbnb" type home with a pool, turns into a weekend with both the vacationers and the house hosts family staying together unexpectedly due to a strange phenomenon going on with the electric grid. A white couple with two teenage kids and an older black couple, the owners of the home, learn a lot about each other, and their own fears and preconceived ideas. Believe it or not, the strange phenomenon is not the main focus of this story, it is more of a self reflection for the characters. Not what I was expecting when I chose this book, but an interesting read. 

photo from Amazon.com

     Next, I read a young adult novel with a romance/drama feel to it. It was You Have a Match by Emma Lord.  Three teenage friends, two girls and one guy, decide to do a DNA test for their school family history project. One of them discovers they have a sibling they did not know they had. This makes them question why their parents kept it a secret all of these years. Since this is a friendship triangle, there is also some romantic feelings between two of the friends, but has been kept secret. This story has misconceptions and deals with sibling drama. I really feel like teenagers will be able to relate to these main characters. I know I no longer work in a high school library, but really still enjoy reading YA novels. 

      cover photo from Hoopla

     The next two books I want to talk about are in a series. I am really not a big romance reader, at least I didn't think I was. There is something about these books that are just fun to read. If you know what cozy mysteries are, you have a small town, fun characters, a pretty easy plot to work through, well, these are cozy romances. They are part of the Love at First Sight series by Karla Sorensen. I read Baking Me Crazy  and Batter of Wits. These are fun books because they allow you to just escape and enjoy the characters. I was attracted to the first novel because of the title. I am a baker and love to cook, so I thought why not read about a romance in a bakery. It was so much more. The main character was in a wheelchair. I liked the inclusion of someone in a wheelchair as the main character. You don't see this often, especially in a romance novel. I grew attached to the main character because I loved learning how she dealt with people and how they treated her in her wheelchair. Books allow us to take a walk in another person's shoes and they are great for building empathy. I was looking forward to seeing what continued with Jocelyn in the next book in the series, but the second book was more about some of the minor characters in the first book. It is a cute series and the books make for a great escape. They are a little steamy without being too vulgar. 

                   cover photo from Hoopla

     With a similar theme, The Secret Ingredient by Nancy Naigle was a fun romance based on a bakery. This was a Hallmark Movie romance novel, so I knew it would be a little sappy and a fun, easy read. Sometimes you just need something light to read, especially during this past year with being quarantined. This was a story about a small town Tennessee girl who worked at her parents' restaurant with her high school sweetheart. Her boyfriend, who also cooked at the restaurant, has an opportunity to go to Paris to learn with some of the best in culinary and decides to stay, even though they are engaged. Does she go to France with him or stay and fulfill a dream she has of owning her own place? This is a light romance that you can almost envision on the Hallmark channel as you read it. 

 cover from bn.com

    My last two books were by black authors. The first one, The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory is part of The Wedding Date series. I didn't realize that until I had started reading it, but apparently you can read them out of order. This was #3 in the series and I haven't read #1 or #2. I think it just continues with some of the same characters. This was also a cute romance but it was just a little more naughty than the Hallmark channel romances. Nothing to make me blush, but just so you are aware if you choose to read it. I really enjoyed the characters and couldn't wait to see how this one turned out. I think it is classified as a modern romance genre; worth a try if you like this genre. The last book I am sharing was an ebook I read titled Whiskey & RIbbons by Leesa Cross-Smith. I not only chose this one because she was a black author but she is from Kentucky. I enjoy reading local authors because the vernacular is so familiar and I love reading the story with local settings. This is kind of a love story/drama. It is about a set of brothers, secrets from the past about their parents, and a bond between one brother and his sister-in-law. If only there was a man as sensitive as Dalton in real life.  I have thoroughly enjoyed these February reads. 

cover from thriftbooks.com 

cover from shop.brainlairbooks.com

    Even though February is the month of all things chocolate, I really didn't cook anything chocolaty during the month. I did try my hand at some air fryer apple hand pies. My grandmother used to make homemade apple fried pies when I was a kid. She would make her own dough, or as she got older, she used canned biscuit dough, rolled it out, put her apple filling in and fried them in her cast iron skillet. They were so delicious that my grandfather wouldn't even let one go when he accidentally dropped one in my grandmother's dish water. He fished it out, dried it off and ate it. That was my Papaw Carman. I definitely get my sweet tooth from the Carman side of the family. When I found a recipe to make this delicious treat a little more healthy in the air fryer, I had to try it. I found my recipe, of course, on Pinterest. https://pin.it/2nkwwoZ It is very simple. I didn't have apple pie filling in the house so I made my own filling. I had some apples from my Misfit Market box that were starting to get spots on them, so they were perfect for my filling. I found a filling recipe on Pinterest as well. I knew what to put in the filling, but it helps to find a recipe for the proper measurements. https://pin.it/7Lc1iD6

    Once you make your filling, you just use pie crust. You can make your own, I have tried making homemade pie crust with no luck. I have no problems using the pie crust sold in the refrigerator or freezer sections at the local Kroger. I even like the Kroger brand of pie crust. Take one pie crust and roll it out. I used a 6 inch biscuit cutter, you can just make your own circles with a knife if you like, but the biscuit cutter makes them more of a perfect circle for me. I was able to get 3 or 4 circles our of one pie crust. I then took the scraps and rolled them out to make a smaller pie. It isn't as pretty, but taste just as good.Put a spoonful of apple filling on one side of the cut out dough circle. Then fold over the other half of the dough and pinch the edges together making a half moon. Thus how these delicious treats got their name from country folks, like me, of half moon pies.  You can also use a fork to close the edges together if you wish. Once you have made your little pies, then give them an egg wash. Just beat up an egg and using a pastry brush, brush on the egg to one side of the hand pie. Sprinkle a little decorator sanding sugar on the pie then place it on the frying tray. Do this to each hand pie then give them a light spray with whatever cooking spray you use, like Pam. They air fry on 350 degrees for 5 minutes then turn them over and air fry them for 5 more minutes. They come out crispy and delicious. Careful, filling is hot. :)

Thanks for reading and look for next month's reads when I cover books about strong female characters or historical women for Women's History Month in March. 

Choosing Healthy

      So, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw Bobby Flay advertising a Misfits Market, fresh food mail order service. Some of the items may be a little ripe, damaged, or not pretty, but still edible. It seemed like you got a lot of fresh food for a good price. I decided to try it. My first box came the first week of December. It was cold, gloomy, overcast, and I was desperate to find something new to cook. The restaurants had just been shut down again for dine in service so I was doing a lot more cooking at home. I love to cook, but I often get bogged down with finding new ideas. I thought if I ordered a box, it would force me to find new recipes and dishes to cook with whatever was in the box. One of the first dishes I am trying is Baba Ganoush. It is like a hummus made with eggplant. I got one big eggplant in the box and it was a little soft in some spots so I knew I had to use it first. I surfed Pinterest, my favorite place to look for recipes, and found an eggplant dip called baba ganoush. It seems similar to hummus. Here is the recipe I used https://pin.it/4FwSJfB .

              (my first Misfits Market box)

The baba ganoush was not bad, but I did not have tahini so I used peanut butter. The texture was pretty good, but it was a little bland. I think I prefer hummus made with chickpeas, but I am willing to explore and maybe try another batch after purchasing some tahini. 

(roasting the eggplant in the oven)

(the finished product- it had a great color and consistency)

In that same box I received an acorn squash. In general, I really like just about any kind of squash. Acorn squash is more of a fall squash so I tried to find some great veggies to pair with it. I had brussel sprouts and some cranberries left over from Thanksgiving, so I found a recipe for a fall veggie dish. https://pin.it/5HdGkxR

Nothing Like a Tall, Cold Glass of Iced Tea

  I am from the south and we like our iced tea. I make a gallon of iced tea for my husband daily. He likes his sweet but not southern sweet. I use artificial sweeteners since he has to watch his sugar. He also likes flavored tea, like peach tea. I am more of a green tea fan and I drink mine straight, no sweetener at all. However you like your tea, the art of making a good glass of tea is one that not all have mastered. Many times the tea you get out in restaurants is very weak. My husband calls it brown water rather than tea. Some places have mastered the art of a good glass of tea and we all have our favorite places to purchase a tall, cold iced tea.
     With the pandemic people have had to resort to making their own tea at home or wait in a long drive thru to get an iced tea. How do you make the best glass of iced tea? The key is in the steeping. I typically brew my tea in the microwave. Many people swear that on the stove in a pan is the best way to make tea. My all time favorite way to make tea is in the sun. Yes, sun tea is a real thing. It works best if you have a glass gallon jar. Fill it with filtered cold water and put your tea bags in. If you use small, one cup tea bags as I call them, put 5 or 6 bags of tea into your gallon container. I have started buying the gallon tea bags from Amazon and I just have to put one bag in the gallon jar with water. Any day that has lots of sunshine is a perfect day to make sun tea. Set the gallon jar in the sunshine and wait. You will see the tea start to develop to a beautiful golden brown. If it is a warm sunny day, you can typically brew a gallon of sun tea in half a day. If the clouds fade in and out, I just let it set all day. If you put it out in the morning, you can bring it in by 5:00 in the evening to make your tea.

Scales of Unjustice

      I just finished week 5 of intermittent fasting, IF, and I have not lost a lot more weight according to the scales. In fact, I am up one pound from last week. The scales have always been my enemy in life. I can workout, cut calories, walk, cut out sweets, etc. and the scales just glare at me and I get so defeated. When I started this IF I wasn't really expecting quick results. Gin Stephens says in her book that slow and steady is the way of IF.  I was ready to be patient and wait for the fruit of my labors.  I could feel in my clothes that things were fitting better. I caught myself looking down at my lap while sitting on the couch. My belly was so much smaller. How could that be since I had failed, according to the scales. However, with IF, I also do my body measurements about every two weeks. So, I thought I would check my measurements just to see if there was a difference in the numbers, or if I was just imagining it. 

When I started this journey on August 1, 2020 I took my basic measurements as Gin recommended: chest, waist, hips, right and left thigh and right and left bicep ( I have the old lady bat wings.) I wondered why it was important to measure each side for my thighs and arms, but now I understand. The body is naturally a little bigger on one side than it is the other. I believe your dominant side is bigger, not sure. Anyway, I decided to do my measurements this morning. I know I measured on 8/28 and found I had lost 3 total inches in my measurements. I wasn't expecting a big difference, but today, I had a total of 7 1/4 inches less on my body. That is huge! I am so motivated to stick with this IF. 

I truly feel like I have found what my body has needed all of these years. I tend to store fat real easily, apparently. I just needed to give my body the opportunity to burn up that fat on its own without any insulin triggers. Since I had my lap band surgery in 2009, I have not been able to eat very much at a time. So, portions have not been my problem. I usually do well with food choice, although we all have times where we choose pizza or a McDonald's cheeseburger over a salad. I still wasn't having the success with the lap band like I am having with IF. I do drink a lot of water. I also like Crystal light or sugar free lemonade, fruit or cucumber in my water, and I LOVE my coffee with Truvia and creamer. I think I have found that these items I was drinking, even though all of them were low calorie, except for the creamer, were my enemy. If you read Fast.Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens, you will learn why sugar free drinks are not helpful. They still trick your body into thinking you are eating or drinking something that it needs to produce insulin to combat. When it can't find anything the insulin keeps you from using your fat reserves to burn. This article, along with Gin's book explains this process better than I can. 

There are many kinds of IF programs out there, but make sure you are doing the clean fast if you want good results. Clean fast =unsweetened and unflavored tea or coffee and water. No fruit allowed in the water and no zero calorie mixes. I do not even take my chewable calcium tablets during my fast times. No sugar free gum or mints. It is a sacrifice, but one that has been worth it for me. 

The Long Road to Me

      I have dieted all of my life. I really don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't dieting or watching what I ate. From 3rd grade on I have been on the pudgy side and was picked on and called names. As I got older, it just got worse. Food was a comfort to me. I was a little bit of a picky eater when I was a kid, then I got into high school and really tried to lose weight. I also got into weight lifting and began my lifetime career of starting and stopping bits of exercising. My sophomore year in high school I had the greatest weight loss in my life, at the time. I lost weight, felt good about myself, and actually worked out some, I hit the tennis ball around with a friend and I rode my bike. Then I went to  college and discovered college life. I ate out a lot, partied, and got pregnant. My pregnancy brought on some depression and I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted to. I also quit exercising since I was depressed. I withdrew from college and had my awesome son, Brad then gradually started taking classes at ECTC and Fort Knox. Once I decided to go back to college, a new chapter was unfurling in my life. I was a single mom with a purpose, to get a college degree so that I could take care of my son, without help from anyone else. 

     I then went back to college, but to one closer to home. I left my 8 month old son with my parents and went to WKU, but I came home EVERY weekend so that I could see Brad. Back in college, I had a wonderful room mate that I became life long friends with. She was older and had changed her major a couple of times and transferred from U of L to WKU. We became instant friends. She introduced me to eating out. When I was growing up, eating out was either fast food or Shoney's  if you wanted something fancy. She introduced me to O'Charley's and Rafferty's. She also worked at an upscale restaurant on Bardstown Road on the weekends, so we explored the awesome places up and down Bardstown Road and I discovered all kinds of new foods. One of our favorites, Chi Chi's, allowed me to discover Mexican food. I soon learned that I was a closeted foodie. I loved food!! All kinds of food. I also got a job on campus working with the catering on campus for the university president. It was a great experience and I was exposed to even more different kinds of foods, and how to make them. Then through my university connections, I got a summer job working at Stone Hearth restaurant in Elizabethtown. I was a prep cook, I worked their lent buffet where I learned to cook frog legs and Alfredo from scratch. I also made oysters Rockefeller and learned how to cook various seafood.  My food pallet just kept growing. I did try to exercise more while I was in college. I taught myself how to swim, not very well, but I can dog paddle and float and I loved water aerobics classes on campus. Also, walking WKU's campus is good exercise in and of itself. Then, I graduate and it is time to find a teaching job. 

     I graduate in December of 1990 and that is not the best time to graduate with a teaching degree. I substituted for a couple of districts until summer. I worked all that time on resumes, interviews, and I still didn't find a teaching job when the school year started. So, I substituted for another whole school year. Needless to say, I started to get down and was concerned that I was not going to find a teaching job. Finally after subbing a year and a half, I got a job at a middle school in Jefferson County. I was hired about a month after school started because the numbers were up. It was not a great situation, especially for a new teacher. I struggled through KTIP and even had a second year of KTIP. By year 3 I was debating on if I had picked the right career for me. I was living in the country and driving to Louisville every day to teach. I found myself crying all the way home, the majority of the time. I was frustrated, I felt defeated and lost. I quit teaching and got a job working at K-mart putting up stock at night. I worked 3rd shift, 10:00 pm - 6:00 am. I did a lot of soul searching and started looking for teaching jobs that were closer to home, in the country. Needless to say, I was not exercising right now, I was very down, and I turned to food as my comfort.  I finally got a teaching job at Nelson County and I loved it. I was successful, my administrators were happy with my performance, and things were looking up. I got my very first apartment, on my own and Brad and I moved to Bardstown. I was a single Mom working and he was in 4th grade. I found a place to use a treadmill. Brad would take his homework and read while I walked on the treadmill. I walked in the neighborhood and I was feeling good about myself. I still wasn't eating real great because being a single mom on a teacher's salary didn't allow for me to purchase healthy food. Plus, my son was a very picky eater, so I usually just ate what I fixed for him instead of fixing two mini meals for us. Then, with budget cuts, I lost my job in Neslon County because I was the new kid in town and didn't have tenure yet.  Did I mention that while I was teaching, I was also taking graduate classes to complete my Masters and Rank I? Remember, I was a single Mom and had a son to provide for and I was going to get as much education as I could to help me with my teacher pay. My Mom would leave her job early one day a week so that she could drive to Bardstown to watch Brad while I drove to WKU to take grad classes at night. There wasn't online classes back then. I drove to every one of my classes. I drove to WKU, Owensboro, Elizabethtown, and Fort Knox, wherever I could find classes offered during the summer or evenings so that I could finish my Masters and my Rank I. Well, I did a lot of fast food, eating on the run and I didn't have time to exercise, so my weight continued to sky rocket. 

     Then, I got my job back home, in Meade County at James R. Allen Elementary. It was my first library job. I loved my new profession. I had finally found my niche and realized that the library world was for me. Shortly after I started working in Meade County, I got married for the first time. I was over 30 and worried I would never get married. I met a nice guy, but really wasn't "in love." I got married, but for all of the wrong reasons. I wasn't happy. His family loved food and they were good cooks so I buried my unhappiness in food. This was when I was at my heaviest, well over 300 pounds. Once we divorced, I decided that if I wanted to be happy with someone, I had to be happy with myself. I joined Curves, I did Jazzercise and Zumba and even tried yoga. I tried to start eating healthier and I lost some weight, but still had a ways to go. Then, I met and married my current husband. I had finally met the love of my life and I not only gained a husband, but a best friend. He loves food like I do, but he is more athletic and has always been active so it encouraged me to get more active and to watch what I eat. Then in 2009, I had lap band surgery. For health insurance purposes I had to jump through lots of hoops, so starting the fall of 2008 I started the process and finally had the procedure in January of 2009. It was not an easy process. Some people think if you have weight loss surgery it is cheating and makes it easier for you to lose weight. WRONG! It is still a daily struggle. After the lap band surgery, I lost between 80-90 pounds. I was exercising, I joined a local gym and did cardio, as well as weight resistance exercise. I even went and walked after school. One whole school year I even got up at 5:00 am, went to the gym to workout, came home and showered and then went to school. I was feeling great. Then, one 4th of July weekend the shopping area where my gym was located caught fire and it was closed for quite some time. It was located less than a mile from my house, so it was very convenient. After the fire, I got out of the habit of working out. I had good days and bad days with my lap band. Trying to find the right fill for it is difficult at times. I am not sure if it was menopause or just life, but I gradually gained 40 pounds back, yes while I still have the lap band. I think part of the problem was that I feel like the band is too tight, so I find ways to cheat it and eat "slider" foods so that I can eat more. When I tried to address this with my gastro doctor that put the lap band in, he just said I need to deal with it. That a few bites of food is enough for a meal. We tend to disagree on this issue, but that is another story. I just love food! I love trying new food. I love trying new restaurants. Plus, I am an emotional eater. Just because the band was keeping me from feeling hungry did not mean I wasn't craving food. I kind of just gave in and I would try to eat healthy food, but I wasn't counting calories or fat grams or carbs or any of that. I was just tired of always counting my food when I ate. 

     Then, I got on a clean eating kick. I decided that it made lots of sense that you got back whatever you put into your body. If you put junk in, your body will react accordingly. So, I try to eat clean, wholesome food. I do not do a lot of prepackaged, processed foods. I cook a lot! Even before the pandemic I was into cooking at home. Next, life threw me another curve ball. I was diagnosed with Graves disease. My thyroid was out of whack. It was causing my heart to speed up, and I did lose a little weight during this time, about 15 pounds or so. I wasn't trying real hard to lose weight and I was losing so I knew something was wrong. Once I got my thyroid situation figured out, I now have to be on medication the rest of my life. My thyroid was zapped with radioactive capsules and it is now shriveled and inactive on its own, so I take medication. This process set me back yet again. I gained about 20 pounds and became very inactive because I had no energy and at one point it took all of my energy and effort to just get up off of the couch. Again, I felt like a failure when it came to taking care of my body and my weight. Add menopause to the mix and losing weight is almost an act of congress for me right now. However, 28 days ago I decided to try one more method to help me gain control of my body and to feel better about my weight. I discovered intermittent fasting. 

     It all started with me reading, Fast .Feast .Repeat .by Gin Stephens. I learned what a clean fast was, how it worked and what it did for my body. For some reason this seemed doable to me. I read her book and was inspired to try this new lifestyle, which is what intermittent fasting is, it is a lifestyle, not a diet. I am on day 28 of the 28 day FAST start. This will not be a quick fix and I will not see big results right away. It is a gradual thing but it is healthy and after reading Gin's book it all makes sense to me. The first of August I started with 17 hours of fasting with a 7 hour window to eat, 17-7. I can choose when to open this feast window, whatever would work with my schedule or lifestyle. For week two, I did an 18-6 schedule. For week three I did a 19-5 schedule and this week I am finishing up a 20-4 schedule. This week has been the toughest. I am proud to say, as of this moment, with just four hours to go to open my eating window, I have not cheated, slipped up or messed up the fasting windows. I am so proud of this accomplishment. I sacrificed my daily morning coffee with Truvia and creamer. I gave up my flavored unsweetened green tea for just plain unsweet tea. I even gave up my fruit in my water during my fasting time. It wasn't always easy, but I have such a sense of accomplishment, one I haven't felt in a while. At the end of this 28 days I lost a total of 3 inches in my body measurements and 7.4 pounds. I feel so good. I didn't change what I ate, just when I eat it. I did try to walk a little more, but my main goal was to get used to the fasting/feasting windows.  My next goal is to eat cleaner and healthier during my feasting widows. If I have this kind of success without changing what I eat, imagine what I can accomplish with healthier eating. I have also learned to not always go to the scales for a measure of success. In fact, on my last day today, I had gained two of those supposedly 7.4 pounds I lost. But, I lost 3 inches on my body. That is more of a true measure than just the scales. 

     My emphasis in September is going to be making healthier food choices and aiming for at least 10,000 steps a day. I plan on setting a new goal each month. I have joined a couple of IF groups on Facebook and they have been very encouraging. I am excited to see where this journey takes me as I begin a new chapter in my life, retirement from the field of education. I do not say I am totally retired, but I have retired from education. I do work three days a week at the local public library. I love the job and it allows me to keep in touch with new books coming out. I occasionally see students from school, some former students with their own children, and retired teachers that I enjoyed working with over the years. Life is good and much more than I deserve. I am blessed way beyond what I deserve. Thanks for taking time to read about the long road to me...so far.