Days 67-69 (Sunday, Monday & Tuesday): Holiday Greens

... as opposed to blues, that is. Well after a coupla days of dipping into the blues, I was back on track Monday, Memorial Day. More later ... when I have access to a better computer.

Day 66 (Saturday): Summer in Springtime

Please, oh please, don't tell me that this glorious spring has just melded into 90-degree summer days! Arrrrrgh. C'est l'avie.

This morning I whipped up some fresh quacamole (to keep three avocados from going bad) and put it away for lunch. I'm about to make a mango, kiwi, pineapple smoothie for breakfast ... garnished with some fresh organic strawberries (half the size of "normal" ones from the grocers which are hybridized out and huge). I was to go to a barbeque later this afternoon for everyone in my adoption support group -- but I'm not sure I'm up for it. I have tons of things I want to accomplish around my place -- not the least of which is going through my belongings and sorting things into three bins as I go:

Throw Away
Give Away
Sell at Tag Sale

I have been overwhelmed with a desire as of late -- just in the last couple of days -- to STREAMLINE my life and to make it very, very simple. That means getting rid of loads of stuff, including extras of all things -- including shoes, skirts, pants, jackets, blouses, tops, (and even undies) ... and pots, pans, dishes, glassware, CDs, videos, books -- BOOKS -- B O O K S -- ! etc., etc. In other words, anything I have more of than I actually NEED.

(Ahh, toiletries just came to mind. I have enough stuff to stay moisturized into the next century!)

I want to go into "mother earth mode" and have as few possessions as I absolutely will be content with. I've done this a couple of other times in life, and the surprising thing is realizing how amazingly content one can be with very little. Well, at least this one.

So that's my mission for Memorial Day Weekend -- Amerika's kick-off for sum-sum-summer time. I will not accomplish it all this weekend, but I'll get a huge running start!

I read Angela Stokes blog the other day and realized how free she must be living so simply and traveling from place to place with near zero possessions -- seeing amazing places and meeting all kinds of people. I envied her a wee bit. She is just 28 ... and I did in my 20's have plenty of years wandering the country and living simply and contentedly. Yet there is something I am feeling a yearning to get "back to" ... and that is a sense of freedom that comes from having as little as possible with which one is totally content.

Scroll Down to Angela Stokes' 19 May Blog Entry

Off to simplify my life.

Day 65 (Friday): Two steps forward -- a half step back

Today was interesting ... I skipped my green juice in the morning and instead had a banana; for lunch I actually had a sandwich ... onion roll with roast veggies and a slice of munster cheese -- a huge deviation from my normal routine these days (of mostly raw salads). I figured once in a blue moon, the cooked food I have could be bread and/or cheese. Big mistake. The amount of reflux it caused was amazing ... I really notice now how much cooked food miscombined affects one's bod. It's my body that tells me the combination is not good.) Then for dinner I just had a craving for something more substantial, so I got a taco salad with chilli at Wendy's!

All in all -- it was a bust day (with the exception of that lone banana). But I refuse to beat myself up in any way. When I do that, things invariably head downhill.

So, for today, I'll be thankful for each new sunrise -- with zero regrets.

Day 64 (Thursday): Loving this Amazing Weather!

New York is having the most wonderful SPRING this year ... just like the ones I remember as a kid, when we had to wear a jacket -- mucho sunny days and new life budding everywhere. It feels to me as if it coincides with where my life seems to be heading. I feel healthier in mind, soul and body than I have in years and I'm excited about what the future holds. All in all, I'm in a terrific "place" -- as they say.

I ended up running late to work this morning (due to an accident on six-lane Route 9, so all the traffic was diverted onto a narrow two-lane road that runs through about five Hudson River towns on the way to the train station).

Since I was a half hour late to work, I ended up grabbing a buttered roll on the run. During the morning, I had a banana and a small grapefruit. For lunch I had a large, mostly-raw salad with an olive oil vinaigrette for dressing. For a mid-afternoon snack, I had a chocolate coconut Larabar (a 100% raw fruit & nut bar).

Tonight I'll head downtown and get some raw food takeout from Pure Food & Wine. They have a "zebra lasagne" made of zucchini, fresh tomatoes, pesto and 'cheese' (made from ground seeds and nuts) assembled in several layers with fresh basil on top. It is a great tasting and filling meal all on its own. I'm going to try making it myself tomorrow night to bring to a barbeque I'm invited to on Saturday. (I won't tell anyone it's "raw food" ... I'll just call it "zebra lasagne" and see if it's a hit.) :-)

PS: Check out Daryl Hannah's Show on "Live Food" (click on last photo on the strip to the right); Also click on my man, Russ Feingold, who's doing his best to end this disgusting war. Please join him ... let your voice be heard. Adding your name to the petition will take 2 minutes.

Days 62 and 63 (Tuesday & Wednesday): Nine weeks and I'm feelin' good

Yesterday and today were good days -- I had green juices both mornings, and that's always a good thing. Vegetable juice is probably one of the best things we can give our bodies, and I'm aiming to have one every morning, if I can.

Yesterday I had roast veggies and quinoa for lunch and some mashed avocado w/ balsamic vinegar on some kamut crackers for dinner. The day before that I can't remember what I ate ... but I think it was good stuff.

Anyway ... I'll pick up on this again -- right now I'm running for a train.

Day 61 (Monday): First day of a new month

Started off well -- with a walk from the train station to my juice shop where I picked up a greens juice (spinach, kale, celery, cucumber and a half of a green apple). Sipped on that all morning and took a walk at lunch time. In the afternoon I had a scone and a mini-croissant, minus the butter. (Not the best move, as both are made with white flour).

It's now 5:00 p.m. and I'm about to have a banana and walk to the train station. I hardly had any water today and am feeling very sluggish and tired. But I think that's from having so much green juice in the last two days. It has that effect 'cause the body is doing heavy-duty housecleaning, and it takes loads of energy to do that ('splaining the tiredness).

I'm leaving the office right on time tonight so I can catch the daylight and get a bike ride in when I get home.

Onward and downward!

Day 60 (Sunday): Two months and counting.

Today for breakfast I had a coupla cups of coffee with half-n-half. On weekend mornings I like to sit and chat with my good friend out on the lanai ... and coffee is enticing, as she makes a fresh pot every day. For the past couple of weekends I've succumbed.

Later in the morning I had a pint of green juice -- cucumber, celery, kale, bok choy, romaine lettuce and a little bit of green apple. I had another pint for lunch. For dinner I had shrimp and fish sushi w/ brown and white rice, and some shrimp steamed dumplings. (A deviation indeed when it comes to the types of cooked food I've been eating.) The white rice and dumpling dough might as well have been white sugar. Good that they were small portions.

I closed out the evening with a snack of unsweetened banana chips and some raisens.

I didn't get my walking in though but did hit the hay early -- 10:30 p.m. -- and will have a great night's sleep.