Pet Lost In Japan

We recently had our hearts ripped out our chest... & put back in, when our precious Molly went missing... in JAPAN! We were so lost with the language & cultural barriers (which is our fault) that I was just certain that we had lost Molly forever. She did find her a nice older single lady who did keep her safe & returned her home!

The postman accidentally, in a hurry, left our gate unlocked, so when the wind blew, it just opened up to a world beyond the fence... our Molly took off without even a warning. Being we had (notice the past-tense there) a doggie door, she easily went in & out all day on her own... so when she saw the world beyond the fence, she had to take advantage.

Well, like silly Americans who have an indoor dog, we took her collar off because 1- she was micro-chipped & 2- the constant scratching, thus ringing of the collar was pretty annoying at 3 am. So she set off to see what she could find without a care in the world & without any visible identification!

HOW DID WE GET HER BACK? Well, we weren't sure where to start, so we called the realtor, who's our go-between with the landlord up in Tokyo & he made some calls.

Then after hours of no Molly, & the sun was setting, we went to the city police station to report her missing. We had to use the Yokosuka Police because our "koban" was closed & they spoke no English. They took the report & sent out FYI's to all our local police departments. What we learned was:

1. Though it is required to import your pet to Japan & has to be compatible to their standards, they don't have the ability to scan your pet's microchip! A vet might, but the local authorities do not (as least not in Yokosuka... which is predominately where Americans are in this area).

2. Even if you have their ID tag on them, or a vet scans your pet's microchip, it is a stateside programed chip, so they would have to call America to get your contact information... which we were told they would NOT call... they might call the base to ask if they knew...

3. So because of #2, you need to call the military vet to report your lost pet, who then notifies base security. If you notify base security first, they don't contact the vet...

4. And you need to call the microchip company (Home Again in our case) and let them know so they have an FYI in case someone does call... the part that sucks here is that since we are overseas, they can't help us find our lost pet like they could in the states.

5. There are NO shelters or kennels for the homeless pets.

6. If your pet is reported & have no one (founding civilian) willing to keep your pet until your are notified, they have 3 days & then they are put "to sleep". They kill your lost pet if they can't find you & no one willing to take them in!!!! And this was expressed to us very strongly more than once & with "very strict law in Japan".

As with most individuals who meet & know Molly, our little neighbor lady who found Molly was more than willing to keep Molly if we couldn't be found :D I am glad to know that my Grands (God Rest Her Soul) was watching over Molly & kept her safe.

Sagami-gawa River Koi Nobori Festival

This is an adventure! If you are not able to travel past your comfort levels, it is not recommended. The Koi Nobori Festival held annually at the Sagami-gawa River in Sagami is a local festival that is gradually gaining popularity throughout the region...into globally. (Kanagawa being the region & Yokosuka being the not so local.)

They string about 1,200 carp fish flags over the river in celebration of children! The koi (carp) & nobori (flag) was introduced to Japan was originally for Boys' Day or "Tango No Sekku", encouraging them to grow up brave, strong, & successful, which many Japanese still hold true to this tradition. Today (since 1948) it is now a representation of Children's Day, May 5th, to represent "energy, strength, & perseverance." Adding children's day into the "Golden Week" allowed the Japan by law to have an entire week of vacation! Many corporations extend this into two weeks...

I am personally obsessed with these flags & the little representation of them in other forms. Maybe because I am a new mom to a miracle: a son, maybe because I love gold fish or koi, or maybe it is both! Seeing them flowing in the breeze makes my heart lighten up just as much as seeing big white sails on open water! For me, this was a trip that was worth a little effort.

The traditional order of hanging is: Black = father, red = mother, & then one additional smaller carp for each child. Red & white ribbons are often added to symbolize the water. The Chinese legend says that is a carp swam up river he would transform into a dragon that went to heaven.

http://koinobori.fr/en/les-origines-japonaises-2/

http://homepage3.nifty.com/hinaya/sekku,eng.htm

You don't realize how globally these string of fish are until you see them on a DIY site! http://www.diylife.com/2008/05/05/fish-kites-for-childrens-day/

DIRECTION TO SAGAMI-GAWA RIVER & PARK:
*Note: there is no English out this way, maybe a number or a hello, but that is it. If you are going, take your notes with you, written in print so that they can help.

• Go to the Sagamihara Station
• Take bus #17 from bus pole #5... bus pole will be in the middle right by the stairs. (There are other buses that go that way, but 17 will be the least "rural" in transit).
• 30 minute ride to last stop, you will know it is the last stop when the bus pulls into a small rural semi-circle area with stone sign & parks (there may or may not be other buses or people). If you feel like you are getting off in the middle of nowhere, yet a nice neighborhood, you are at the right spot. 310 yen you pay on your way off...
• Leave the bus parking & go LEFT up the road
• Take the FIRST RIGHT only a few yards up...
• Take the FIRST LEFT again, it will have a double mirror pole in the corner... the road you turn onto will be windy &/or curvy looking
• Turn RIGHT at the Yamasaki store or the red & yellow "Y" store.
• Walk straight on that road, no turns...
• Pass a tori gate on your right
• Up the little hill
• POOF! You are there!

STROLLERS -

With no more than 3 strollers per bus you can do this. Also, though there may be stops closer to the park, it will be very hard or impossible to load & unload with the strollers, so be sure to use the stop listed above both ways.

When you get to the park, you will need to walk along the top ridge to your right, all the way down until you get to the ramp that then brings you down to the lower level or the actual "park". You will find restrooms this way too... not baby friendly.

Camera Armor

OK, I am the biggest klutz. An expensive camera is truly the last thing I should be allowed to carry, yet I have a nice one... add the lenses & I have an overly retarded expensive one!

The other day I had to toss my camera down to catch my infant son who was falling from a rock into some rocks (he just learned he could semi-crawl that morning)! I was certain it was all over. The camera was now broke &/or the lens was damaged for good. I didn't care at the moment, ... however once we both stopped crying, I found it hard to keep clicking away knowing it was pointless.

Then I got home, plugged it in to review the damage, & it was perfect! Nothing was broke! Not even a scratch or a blurry image (well besides those from my son being tied to me & kicking)! WHY?

Camera Armor! I had gotten this a few years back as more of an extra grip for my clumsy hands...kind of like a grip for a gun. I never even thought about the product past that point. I have had a few bumps here & there, but this was the first actual test of the armor.

I am now a believer & wanted to share this with everyone! If you have a camera worth protecting, especially you professionals, check this out! You definitely need it in your equipment bag!

Ofunakannon-ji Temple

A newer temple devoted to the events of the Atomic Bomb, nestled away in Ofuna, Kamakura, Japan, right outside the Ofuna Train Station.

This beautiful white lady Buddha is made from concrete completely poured by hand... no trucks. Some of the stones are remains from Hiroshima & Nagasaki. An eternal flame continues to burn here, just as it does in Hiroshima, until all nuclear war weapons are abolished. The symbolism of peace are throughout the entire temple & grounds... though small, well worth a day of just a visit, picnic & reflection.

This temple is not an easy little "just get off the train & follow the crowds" like many temples are in Kamakura... this one actually takes a little thought & some help from the locals, iPhone google maps, or someone else who has been. Once you leave Ofuna Station via the South Gate (not the North Gate which many Yokosuka people will come up at), you cross the canal, take a left to the end of the sidewalk, then a right & an immediate right ... along a very exclusive looking alley way. A few yards in you will see two stone lanterns with a sign in kanji & 300 yen (adults), 100 yen (children). That is all the signing you will find on your way.

As you stand at the base of the hill in front of you wondering if this is possibly the right place... take a deep breath & bite down hard... it is a steep hike up & back down... and not with stairs! I kind of was reminded of Mt. Fuji... straight up!

I highly recommend that you pack a lunch to take with you & spend the day. You can get cold beverages at the temple. Once you are up, it is beautiful!

DIRECTIONS:

• Take the train to Ofuna Station
• When you arrive at Ofuna you will come up at the North Gate (for most all my fellow Japan dwellers) DO NOT EXIT
• Walk down the big center hall way past a lot of yummy little bakeries! Yummm...
• You will now be at the South Gate... EXIT
• Then go to your right towards what looks like the back of the station (STROLLERS) You will find a small hallway to an elevator... it is large enough for 4 adults with 4 single large strollers easily... take it down
• You will come out at an small intersection. You will need to cross the canal (over the bridge)
• Once all the way across take a left down the sidewalk to the first road,
• Turn right at that road/end of sidewalk (you will be looking at a hill & currently construction at that little intersection)
• Then take the next immediate right (before the hill) down what looks like an exclusive alley... remember to be quieter & respectful
• Walk a few yards in & you will see 2 stone lanterns... a sign with kanji with 300 yen (adults), 100 yen (children).
• You will be at the base of a rather steep hill, with determination, strollers can go up! They will guide you at the top where to park them.

STROLLERS, you will want to either have a child that walks or a carrier to switch over to for the grounds.

Proof You Can Learn Anything On YouTube!

Being stationed in Japan comes with its many advantages, but it also comes with many drawbacks...like finding a good dog groomer. I wasn't about to submit my little Molly back to that on base kennel lady, even if for just a day! Plus apparently, she does a poodle shave/cut on any & all dogs. Gross!

Finding one in the area that I live has proven even harder since I can't read half the signs & we are so rural that no one really speaks English.

So I resulted in a hunt to try & do this myself. Thanks YouTube! I was able to go from this:

To this:

All I needed was a little instruction & a lot of patience. Thankfully my Molly has been trained by going to the groomers regularly that she kind of helped guide me along the way with lifting the next paw or turning a certain way, etc.

I just couldn't stand it any longer. Our Lhasapoo had gone from a non-shedding mix to a shedding demon since we arrive in Japan. After 5 years of no hair in the bed...I just couldn't take it anymore, especially with baby due any day!

It turns out that the lightening of her coat each visit to the groomer wasn't her coat but her undercoat. You aren't suppose to shave Lhasa Apsos so short, but we have always had her in the "puppy dog" cut. Hence, the reason I never had a shedding dog! LOL!

She is much happier to say the least, & so are we!

The Unspoken Discrimination Within

I am so sick & tired of the unspoken discrimination within the military. Not that of the activity duty discrimination. No. Not the gay v. straight discrimination. No. Not even the discrimination amongst ranks. No.

I'm talking about the discrimination the military gives spouses. I'm so sick of hearing "no" just because I'm not a foreign national. Yes, I'm a born & breed American. Yes I'm educated. Yes I have common sense. Yes, I'm sane...most days. Yes, I speak English...sometimes fluently. However, why does that automatically make me competent in a way that my foreign national counterpart spouses aren't?

Sometimes I get so removed from the whole military lifestyle that I forget this part. That is until I "need" my service member at home & I am denied that request because I am not a foreign national spouse...oh so fragile & frail! They really play up the system too!

So what if I speak English...I am still in a foreign country too where English is not the main language.

So what if I am American, does that mean that times & situations are less stressful on me?

All I need is one bloody damm weekend in which my husband can help me, the pregnant sane, been emotional stable, military spouse who lives out on in town on the economy, to prepare for this birth of the child that he will be missing! ONE WEEKEND! And I know, I can tell, it is getting really close to this kid coming out...but who cares. I can do it alone! After all, I am afluently speaking American, right? No worries... I don't my service member at all!

Why is that not granted to me, but the lady who needs to go up to the embassy to get her passport re-done can get her husband out of every other important military schedule just to watch the kids because she doesn't want to use the CDC or a friend?

Or the lady who needs her hubby to hold her hand to fly home in an evacuation because she has only met his parents a dozen times with him, but I had to go it alone? It is still an evacuation ...and still my first one at that too!

Or the lady who needs her husband to get her a new ID, but I get handed a stupid piece of paper & sent on my way....to get my first one even I did it alone & at an Air Force Base!

Or the lady who is having a emotional break down at home threatening to leave or whatever, while all I get is left sitting in a pool of hysterical hormonal pregnancy tears while he has to go back to work because of some new emergency?

What am I missing here?

I am really confused. Everyone who romanticizes the military must only be on the foreign end of it. No wonder they have their own cliques, they have their own reality! And then everyone wonders why there is a divide & resentment between American wives & foreign nationals.

I don't care what their culture or customs are. What if I would like to have those same customs & culture? Oh I can't because I am American? Err.....

So sick of it! And people think that the military doesn't discriminate & that the government is fair! HA!

It's NASCAR, Get Some Balls Back!

Anyone who has been following NASCAR or my recent posts on Facebook, know that everyone is hatin' on Kyle Bush. Why? That is what I want to know!

Yes, Kyle has some bad sportsmanship skills like blaming everyone & everything but himself for not winning a race. But seriously, you have to be a little crazy & unstable to be doing 200 MPH in a car with hardly any body on the frame, spinning around in circles, dodging bad drivers like Michael Waltrip! Well, you at least have to be cocky, arrogant, & have some balls anyway.

I don't see everyone hatin' on Waltrip who causes one really good wreck per race. Yes, every single time...in the Sprint Cup Series, Waltrip is right there...in a bloody wreck! Great personality, horrible driver! But no one is knockin' on him or calling for him to either speed up or get out of the way.

So Kyle wrecked a few people! So what? It isn't like you became a fan or joined NASCAR because of it's safety! I don't remember any of the great drivers being like every other driver. They were all a little nutty, pretty damn reckless, & completely insane on the track. That is why they were great & why you kept coming back for more.

Is that what this is really about? Everyone is hatin' on Kyle because he could be the next "great driver" in history if anyone would just back him?

All you sissies out there complain about Kyle Bush need to get your balls back! It is NASCAR, not carriage rides for the rich & lazy. You need to remember what NASCAR is about. It isn't just about you having loyalty to one driver no matter what, like Dale Earnheart, Jr, but about the wrecks & the crazy drama! It is about seeing a driver take on one of the most competitive sports & making a win out of it, ...no matter how he limps over that finish line. It is about some balls!

At first, for the same reasons you are hatin' on Kyle Bush, that is why you fell in love with Tony Stewart. However, they are two different drivers with two very different styles...and that is what it is all about! Kyle is just puttin' the Boogity back into Racin'! The rest of ya'll sissies need to find your balls before you come back to the tracks!

(You made me get my redneck out...shame on you!)

Living Under Constant Scrutiny

The other day, while I was in a deep coma with my "love seat therapy" session, the doorbell rings...again. Everyday for a week now at about 10 AM, that thing is being pushed by someone. So I was ignoring it & hushing the dog quietly. I had drool down one side of my face along with indentations from the pillows & hand, and was still in my P.J.'s.

"It" didn't go away, like others. NO!, instead it rang the thing again! So I figured it had to be important...right?

With the door barely cracked to keep the dog in & to hide my appearances, I see two Japanese men dressed alike, one with a bag brief case thing showing me his ID. (Have I ever mentioned Japanese poor dental hygiene?) Once they realized I was "english" & spoke no Japanese, they turned to leave in complete confusion. I am not really sure what they were confused about! We have a Dodge Nitro with pimped 20" rims in the drive...it screams American!

Anyway, I called my landlord liaison to see if he sent someone over for something. He said no, but said it sounded like Jehovah Witnesses. WHAT!? In Japan? You have them too? Great! Now I do need to learn some Japanese! LOL!

He also tells me that he hasn't "heard anything about" us in a few weeks now. WHA-what-what? "Heard anything about" us? People call him to tell him about us?

Apparently yes! A neighbor called to tell him that we don't pick up after our pet when we walk her. LOL! (Thankfully our landlord liaison knows better & never called to tell us this.) But I was upset! First, we hardly walk our dog, because we all all lazy, including the dog. Two, we have these pink little doggie poop bags we use ALL the time! You can't miss them! Hot Pink! And the poop on/in our concrete yard, well it can sit 24-48 hours before my big ol' pregnant belly can get bent over to pick it up! After all it is "our" yard. Fourthly, I have a water bill that clearly shows that I wash down our concrete yard way too often! Fifthly, she only poops once a day since we have been here anyway & in the same spots!

However, this is the pure essence of the Japanese. They have this great face-to-face with you. All smiles, "konnichiwa" & bows, but behind your back they are watching you with an eagle eye. They don't much trust Americans, and in the last 5 years, around these parts, Americans have left a really foul taste in their mouths...so it can be partially understandable. But to be going out of their way to make up some crap to complain about...OH the glory of living in J-town!

I remember the last time B was stationed here. The little old lady that lived behind us used to come into the house & just walk through it & then back out. Once I started cleaning up after 4 generations of dirty American boys, things were "miraculously" getting done...like the yard being tended to & all. She also kept an eagle eye on those in that house & was reporting back to the owner.

Now that I think about it...it is always the older folks....

Mix The What With The Huh?

I am not sure why exactly Women's Lib had to go as far as it did. I am positive that I still need a "Prep School" for wifery-hood!

I have been blessed with a husband, though at times truly didn't get the whole picture, has over all been very supportive me being a stay at home wife; just a wife, no children for 6 years! He has let me adventure in a number of interests, all of which have ended up lesser than planned or a complete bust, with little complaining & a lot of encouragement. This has been a blessing in disguise as it has taken most of those 6 years for me to be comfortable with being a stay at home wife & a woman true to herself & her God given roles in today's western society.

So today I sit here counting this blessing & I waste an entire work day researching "cooking" I realize that maybe a little "Prep School" would have been nice. It might not have taken me 6 years to figure out how to pre-make meals & freeze them with a smile on my face and a sense of accomplishment. Prep School might also have helped me with etiquette & some tack, how to iron sheets without them touching the floor & getting dirty, and how to be more supportive of my husband so he can do his job at the best of his abilities all while saving us tons of money!

Sure that sounds completely old fashioned. So 1950's right? You are right, it is dated & us ladies sure have moved on...but to where? We, an entire society, has lost so much by women trying to be men too, including real men! It really is no wonder why the lines are blurred. Am I sexiest...at times, yes, yes I am.

But I am really curious, how the heck is a home to be made and provided if the individuals in it have no idea what they are doing? Seriously, I never knew that being a wife, a mother, etc. took so much knowledge. Knowledge that was once common sense that now needs a "google" search to help you figure it all out!

Seriously, I have no confusion as to why the divorce rate is so high. No confusion at all! This world is being ran by men from both genders. Scary! Where have all the women gone?

Why Whole Food Supplements?

Some of you may have heard of "whole food supplements" but most of you are sitting here reading thing & scratching your heads. "WTFreak?"

For years I have had to skip over the intake of vitamins because all they did was make me have this awful pain in my spine like they got stuck, or even worse, I would puke them right back up after 30 minutes to an hour.

Oh I tried all the different methods & varieties too. Outside of Vitamin C or other individual supplements, there was no way I was getting anything down this hatch.

Then one day my Chiropractor asked me if I had ever tried Standard Process supplements. I said no, until I saw the bottles & then was like, "OH yeah! One of my other chiropractors had be on some of these kinds of supplements after my torn iliotibial band injury." Then I never thought anymore of it.

I was having a sudden crash in my health. It was one thing that was leading to another & before long it was like one day I woke up old! "What Happened?" I have always been pretty healthy in my adult life...what was going on?!!! Yes, of course stress. But my body wasn't handling stress anymore. It was crashing...fast.

So the practitioner sent me home with a survey to fill out & then it was ran through a system & surveyed my ailments & concerns. The program was laid out & off I was with a multiple bottle load of various supplements, in which some I had never heard of, such as Catalyn. It looked like a lot of "pills" & I don't take "pills". And I had to takes 6 a day of some of them!!!!

This wasn't really the most amusing program of health to get from a holistic doctor like a chiropractor. I thought I had made a wrong decision somewhere, but I then again, I was willing to trust him more than a real MD any day, who doesn't solve problems but only masks them by suppressing your systems until you body does it's own healing. So...

1 year on this program & pregnant even, I can't sing enough praises of these Whole Food Supplements! I have not only found myself & my life again, but I have seen reverse changes in my body when I am taking these regularly. And the nice thing is that since I've been pregnant I can pick & choose which supplements I really need. Like I have no added iron to my diet simply because I didn't need it & it was making me sick. A simple one tablet prenatal vitamin off the shelf would never allow me this freedom.

The other many great things about whole food supplements is that they are not only separated out by dietary need, but they are also minimally processed & made with no additives. NOPE! They are made completely from food, no chemicals. And the food that is used with Standard Process is all organic! It is raised just for the making of these supplements. They even throw in bone marrow! A rich source of all kinds of vitamins & minerals that our bodies need that we don't get in our diets due to our "civilized" ways.

Because they are whole foods, made from real food, only of food, your body can digest these supplements with no irritation, upset stomach, etc. You know exactly what you are ingesting! Food! How can that be bad?

Why haven't these caught on across the mainstream market? Please! Do I really need to hold your hand & spell it out for you? It would kill many pharmaceutical companies & doctors. Plus, though holistic means of health are on a rise, these type of practitioners aren't really the mainstream just yet. So since they are only available through Chiropractors & various other holistic practitioners & stores, they costs a little more than that one tablet option at Wal-Mart or Walgreens.

Whole Food Supplements are only for those who are extremely serious about taking control of their own health & be responsible for their own health. It is not meant for those who need a "fix". If you are like me, & just can't go to the "doctor" for anything, then you might find these supplements life altering in a way that will supersede anything you have every tried.

Go to Standard Process & enter your zip code to find someone near you that sells these whole food supplements. If you are military, there are practitioners back in the states that will send them to you. That is how we work the system!

A Little Prep Work Goes A Long Way

As I was chopping up everything there was to chop in the fridge today it hit me that I wanted to share with you some of my tips on making our produce last until we can get it consumed.

See there is only two of us in our household & only one of us will eat fruits. However, we are both guilty of not eating enough fruits & vegetables. To add to that frustration, the prices of these products keep going up while the quality keeps going down.

So how do I get all this produce to last us & actually get us to use it? Well, a little help from my Grands & a little trial & error. The trick is to trick the mind! If you break it all down into usable sizes or servings sizes, ready to eat/use immediately, you are more likely to grab it & use it. But if you have to take it out, wash it, prep it, etc. just to get to a point to use it, you will skip over it more often than not.

First you will need:

• one day to just prep food (Sundays while doing dinners or during the day when baby is napping)
• produce of choice
• lots of Gladware, Ziploc containers, or Tupperware (or all the above) in various sizes
• a few Ziploc bags
• 1 great & sharp cutting & chopping knife or a block of them (as is my case)
• scissors
• cutting board
• trash bowl or can ready to be used

When it comes to lettuce, we are picky about it being only Romaine Lettuce. Besides being the healthiest lettuce to eat of lettuces, it also will last longer than most others we have tried. I shred the lettuce down by hand, pulling it off the main stalk (center part that will turn brown quickly) in bite size tears. I dispose of the center stalk from each leaf. You may use it, calling it a waste to throw it out, but it turns brown fast & no one wants to eat it then or anything that has touched it. I put my torn lettuce into a large square Gladware container & then in the crisper. I don't add a sponge, or paper towels, etc. Just like that into the crisper. I can get up 1-2 weeks of it being of good use, enough time for us to eat it. With it already torn, it is so easy just to pull out the tub & add lettuce to our sandwiches & burgers, or make a salad. We actually use the lettuce! It is gone before it goes bad!

Cilantro is one of those amazing herbs that no one really uses, mostly because it costs so much & you get this big bundle that you can't use before it goes bad. Like the lettuce, I chop it up, minced is more like it, and I put it in little tiny Gladware mini rounds (1/2 cup) containers. We never need much more than that per dish, including guacamole. I toss them also back into the crisper.

Grapes. I am the only fruit eater in this house & grapes are a pain to get down. They come in one big bag. I have learned that if I wash them, sort them, & divide them into little servings, I will grab a bag & eat them. But you can't just toss them into a Ziploc bag, the get all gooey & rot. I take a pair of scissors & I nick then bottom of the back & the bottom 1/3 of the bag sides to great little airflow vents. Yep, then back in the crisper! You got it! 2-3 weeks usually!

Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, & Cherry Tomatoes get mixed & matched into the small Twist & Lock Ziploc containers. This is a great lunch pack or snack to just grab! I buy the baby carrots & cherry tomatoes (to prevent getting gooey & chopping off a finger...carrots & I aren't friends), but the rest I buy in the normal natural size & cut down to finger food size that fits in these containers. I make up 5-7...a weeks worth to be shared between 2 people. B used to never snack on these kinds of foods until I did this. Now, he will crab them & some ranch & go to town!

Any broccoli or celery left over gets chopped down into "cooking" sizes (what we would normal want to cook with) & put into more Ziploc Twist & Lock containers & into the freezer! If you are going to cook with the celery you can take it out the day of or before, drain any water off, & toss it into the pan (like for potato soup). **If you pack the containers really tight, you will have less water when thawed.

I continue this pattern with just about everything from watermelon, strawberries, to tomatoes pre-sliced. I DO NOT attempt this with avocados, apples, bananas, or other like fruits. Even with the club soda or lemon tricks, they still go bad or turn brown quickly. I might save half an avocado (the seed side) with a little lemon juice on it to prevent browning if I know I will eat it in a day or two. I even cut down blocks of cheese to snack on & put them in small containers.

Imagine if you did buy in bulk? You could easily do this kind of prep work with bell peppers, spinach, green chiles, etc. Not only do you get to cut down on your grocery bill loss, you increase your diet potential all while also making dinner easier to make! The best part...the containers are washable! You can reuse them & be green!

Eating healthy is a lifestyle. That was the hardest thing to learn. And a lifestyle is what we have created. We are eating fresher by the day & we know what we are eating. I hope you got something fun & useful out of this blog.

It Needs A Stronger Warning!

So, I emailed & asked Dyson how to clean my Dyson Animal Ball vacuum. The holes were getting clogged & the suction seemed to be diminishing. Yes, I clean the cleaning tool. Yes, I clean my vacuum. For the price of these things though, they should self-clean! However, I get an email back:

Hello,

Thank you for your question. You are able to do some cleaning to the clear bin and the cyclone. You can remove the clear bin from the cyclone piece and with a damp cloth wipe the inside of the clear bin down. The cyclone piece you can take an air compressor (if available) or a can of the compressed air that they sell for cleaning key boards and spray out all of the little holes on the outside and inside the cyclones. Please make sure that you do this in a well ventilated area as there will be a lot of fine dust that will come out of the cyclone piece. If you have any questions about cleaning these pieces please call our help line at 1-866-MY-DYSON. The Dyson helpline is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm Central time. We are open weekends also Saturday from 9am to 3pm and Sunday from 10am to 2pm Central time.

Kind Regards,

However, this email should have came with a much bigger & stronger warning than that I need to be in a well ventilated area. Thank God I was outside when I did this project. Clouds of dust came pouring out with each spray from that compressed air! Clouds. As in you can't see through them! Dust particles came out in chunks! I needed a mask & some goggles! That is what they should have said! They also have added..."Beware. The canister is prone to coming off the cyclone when the top filter is out & open & the bottom is open!" I panicked thinking I broke the thing. Reassembly can be tricky, but I am just happy that they hard plastic canister didn't break on the concrete when it fell off.

I am so happy to have my Dyson back! It sucks so good!

No! There Is Really Only 1 Rule...

My hubby keeps telling me that I have too many rules that I try to live by. I suppose that is because I seem driven by this odd code of ethics that makes me do some...ok...a lot of things that may be most people walking down the street wouldn't care to think about.

However, there is only one rule that I live by: "DO THE RIGHT THING!" If you do the right thing then you have covered all your bases. No one can come back on you, you wouldn't have failed, you can't be called lazy, & you sure as heck can't get in trouble later on down the road. Plus it is just good for your chi & your karma.

Sure, there are days that I forget or fall short & pretty much don't care. They are called "My Time!" However, for the most part, I leave a place cleaner than I found it, help the elderly, refold the shirt I was just looking at the store, & even wipe up excess water around the public sink I use.

It is hard to do the right thing, because let's be frank, doing the right things sometimes sucks & isn't what you want to do at all! And the right thing for me might not be the right thing for you, but I am positive that the right thing will save you tons of time, heartache, & trouble! Promise!

Like picking up your dirty underwear off the floor & putting it in the hamper will keep you from getting yet another of the same old lectures from your spouse. It is the right thing to do; it shows your spouse appreciation & respect. DUH!!!