Road trip and more about the new book

Headin' down the road today to send youngest daughter off to what we affectionately call "Nana Camp" also known as my mom's house. I'll drive 200miles and my mom will drive the same and somewhere in the dusty central valley of California, we'll meet and hand over the little girl.
Actually we're meeting a Harris Ranch where a lot of mighty fine tasting beef are bred but it's hellza smelly there. Especially in the summer. In CA. With all them steer making manure. Plug your nose kids, it's Harris Ranch!

More about my book:
So I'm reading The End of Overeating as I mentioned in the last post and it has gotten really, really interesting. I'm half way through it and would highly recommend it, but you have to push yourself to get through the technical stuff at the beginning.
What I'm discovering is that some things that I always suspected are proven facts:
1. Fast food rewires your brain to make you want it more and once you have it, want more of it---even if you're full.
2. Having one bite of a food* will make you want a second bite with more desire than you had before you had the first bite.
* The author certainly isn't talking about carrots here. We're dealing with the super processed, scientifically engineered foods that are mass produced; the fast food, the chips, pastries, cookies, etc.
I have experienced the longing for some treat---then giving in to it with the promise of "only a bite", and then the knowledge that I was going to have the whole thing (slice of cake, cup of ice cream, donut, cookie) whatever it was, and that there was going to be no stopping.
What I wasn't really remembering was that my INITIAL desire (although strong) was certainly not as strong as the desire became after the first bite. Just having this awareness led me to NOT have a corner of chocolate chip banana bread this morning as I waited for the coffee water to boil. I told myself that it wouldn't be just one bite and did I really want to start the day with a huge calorie treat which would leave me eating grass clippings and other rabbit food all day in order to stay on my diet...it was nothing short of amazing that I actually listened to myself and knew that one bite would be a disaster.
Later in the afternoon I watched myself have "half" a cookie, only to go get the second half within seconds of finishing the first. Awareness is everything!

Tick, Tick, Tick

So I mentioned I was dieting. Oh yeah, yeah, I know! A few months back I stated I was 10 pounds over weight and that was just too damn bad, I was done stressing about it. Well. I suppose if it were just the 10 pounds that would be one thing, but it has crept up to 22 lbs. faster than you can blink an eye (pssst! getting old SUCKS!) AND (there's always an "and") I'm going to a reunion of sorts at the end of the summer. Actually just a big, kick ass party for a group of us who haven't seen each other in like 20 years, so yeah, I'd call that a reunion. And I so want to look HAWT. I don't know why I care since I've seen every one's Facebook photos and we're all fat, but I feel the timer ticking and I really am trying to do this. In just under 4 weeks. Yes, I know. I'm a lunatic!

So I'm reading a very interesting book called The End Of Overeating by David Kessler, MD. It is a little dry---it reads so very much like a textbook that's trying hard to read like a chatty self-help, but it falls short. That's not to say there's not loads of great info...there is, it is just pretty technical. Still, what I'm getting thus far is humans and other animals are hopelessly addicted to sugar, fat and salt....especially in combination... and that even lab rats who are full after a meal of rat chow will continue to gorge themselves on sucrose tablets if they are presented, but they stop eating rat chow at the normal level.
I am reading on through all the scientific stuff in hopes that there is a "How to break this addiction" chapter a little further in. And I'm gonna need it, my timer is really ticking!

When life gives you 12 month old jam, make BBQ sauce...

So you know how I just hate to throw anything away. Last year, I was given bags and bags of plums and I made jam, duh. Well, that plum jam just sat there and sat there in it's Kerr box in the garage, gathering dust. Now it is summer again and while I don't anticipate getting any more plums (my source seems to have dried up) I was facing 7 jars of jam that clearly no one in the family was going to eat.
In the freezer: 2 jars of apricot from last summer too.
As I'm now in week 2 of a diet, making 17 Lindzer Tortes to use up all the jam wasn't my best plan of action. I'd recently eaten almost half a Pineapple UpSideDown cake 'cause no one was eating it (what is wrong with these people??) and didn't want to jeopardize any future weight loss with more desserts sitting around and you know how I hate to throw anything away. Again.

Don't ask me how, but I seemed to remember a Sunset magazine article where they made BBQ sauce from blackberries. So rather than just cut my losses and toss the jam (saving the jars was in the plan ---I'm not a moron), I decided to experiment in BBQ land.
I wish I could post a recipe, but alas. As many things go in my kitchen ---I just made it up as I went along, adding all sorts of stuff till it tasted right.
And it does. It's da bomb! But it is unsealed, so either I store it in the freezer (not likely) or I give it away. Soon.

If You Were Gay, That'd Be OK

'cuz as they say; I'd like you anyway...
All right, I'm just going to put it out there: Can cats be gay??
Our two little fluff balls are certainly very young for all this nonsense, or are they?
Jeremy (the long haired one) spends an inordinate amount of time licking Thomas'_____, well, how shall we say? Fuzzy gumdrop? Is that a sufficiently adorable and non threatening term for cat genitals? See---you winced when you read "genitals" didn't you? See---you did it again. Ok I'll stop. Fuzzy gumdrop it is. So there they are all day long, in the yard, in the art room, cuddled up under the couch---playing, fighting and it seems more often than not, fluffy Mr. J has his nose (and mouth) feverishly buried in Mr. Thomas' area of gumdrop delight. At first I thought "Oh how sweet, they're grooming each other." But this is entirely different. This is not grooming. This is getting DOWN. Thomas could care less. I suppose that is a sign of some sort.
So. Recreational sexuality in cats? Your thoughts?

Last Call for Jam

OK girls, please send me your address so I can send out my jam and potholders...I need to here from:
K, Sandy, The Main Ladybug, Belle and Call Me Cate...


Summer is finally here. It is freaking HOT!! We had to go out of town all day yesterday and I was so paranoid about the kittens and would they be OK and would I come home to find 2 fried kitties...but they were fine. We have to go back today, and I'm determined to get them all set up in a way to keep them cool as today is supposed to be hotter than yesterday.
Hope y'all are keeping cool where ever you are today...

Super, Super Decoration Ideas

I read a few blogs.
I have my favorites.
Over at Simmer Till Done, Marilyn's daughter just had her Bat Mitzvah.
Marilyn made a nice post with lots of photos mostly of the post-ceremony party. But here's the kicker: the theme was dogs. Cute paw print papers, real vintage doggie bags, etc.
OK, that wasn't the kicker. Here's the kicker: Most of the decorations were on the wish list at the humane society. Do you follow? She's got raised centerpieces made of paper towels, dog food cans, I think there might be dog biscuits wrapped in plastic frillyness as balloon weights.
So after the party (are you with me...?) IT ALL GETS DONATED TO THE CHARITY!!!
It is blowing my mind right here as I'm typing. Being a veteran decorations chairperson of a bazillion fundraisers, parties, etc. I can't believe how great this concept is. You work SO, SO hard to make things look great and then in a few hours, you take it all down and throw it away. Or risk the end of your marriage by storing it all in boxes in your garage..."But honey! I worked so hard to make all that fake seaweed! I might need it again if we ever do Under the Sea as a fundraiser theme..."
This, as the Brits would say, is bloody brilliant.

And the Winnah is....

You're all winners!
Well, c'mon there were only 11 comments between the 2 posts. There were twice as many hits to the blog---so... I don't know, people are just being shy. Or I'm underestimating the lure of a Granny Potholder...
So everyone who commented yesterday (K, Sandy, Pricilla, Alicia, The Main Lady Bug, Belle, Call Me Cate ): email me the address where I can ship something to you (my email is on my profile page).

As you may remember a week or so ago I was the featured blogger from SITS. One commenter who was full of praise, wondered why there wasn't a followers gadget so she could add me. I quickly set one up and by a few days later, I'd accumulated 22 followers.
but the thing is, I almost don't want to know. I don't follow ANY blogs. I go visit them the old fashioned way---clicking each link in my bookmarks. I like to be in control of when I go a'blogging. I don't want it dumped in my inbox.
So I never had a followers gadget. I had 4 followers with out the gadget, but someone asked so I put it out there.
Well. Today I only have 21! I've been dropped! See! Oh the rejection!
I'm just kidding. Kinda. I'm leaving it up there, but I still don't get it. The whole concept of following. You all can help me understand...