Ah, November. The month of gratitude, by virtue of containing Thanksgiving within it. There are a few challenges going on this month-gratitude challenges, writing challenges. Let me add another....
The Internet is a fascinating thing. We get our news from it, use it to stay connected with loved ones, entertain ourselves in various ways. More often than not, the messages we get from it are negative, whether it's bashing someone in politics or entertainment, venting our frustration with something or someone, or posting snarky or sarcastic comments. It is so much easier to give in to the negative-it captures our attention quickly and draws us in, permeating our attitudes towards people and situations. And we are bombarded by images and information that constantly draws us down into that black hole, individually and as a whole.
What would happen if we consciously fought the impulse to growl, grumble, and complain? Instead of protesting something we despise, what if we promoted what pleased us instead? It is true that there is much in the world to scorn; there is also much that can make us smile, if we choose to focus on it.
So, my challenge is this: every day in the month of November, I challenge people to fill whatever social media portal they use, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, with positive messages, whether it be a quote, a photo, a news story, or a positive personal experience. Doing so will not take away the bad that surrounds us, but perhaps, by focusing on the positive, it will be easier to keep the dark clouds at bay and let the sun shine through.
I'm always trying to find something easy and tasty for a portable snack or quick breakfast. Granola bars always seem too sweet for my taste. Nuts and/or fruit on their own don't usually satisfy me,
I was flipping through a magazine I got from a recent trip to Wegman's ( LOVE that store-why is there not one in this area???) and I saw a recipe for granola balls. A light went on-dimly, but it went on-"Hey-I can do that!". Of course, the recipe in the magazine called for Wegman's products but this is simple enough and you can tailor it to your tastes. So I threw these together and called them Gorp balls, in honor of my father-in-law's favorite hiking snack. They consist of:
Toasted oats-you can use any kind. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and pop them into a 350 F oven. Stir them every 5 minutes or so. Should take about 15 minutes before they become golden brown.
Nuts-I used a container of mixed nuts. You can use whatever amount you want.
Dried fruit-The combinations can be endless. I used a mixed berry blend I found at TJ Maxx.
Nut butter-Again, I have to thank TJ Maxx for the peanut spread with chia seeds I used. Seriously, if you have not been in the Home section of TJ Maxx, you need to check it out!
I threw in the rest of the Qi'a packet I had, which is hemp, buckwheat, and chia seeds mixed together. You could also add some baking chips or other sweet stuff if you want. Again, these are easy to personalize.
Mix everything up in a bowl and form into balls, Note: I wore kitchen gloves to form the balls which made life a whole lot easier. If you don't mind messy, gooey hands, have at it!
Place the balls on a cookie sheet and pop into the fridge to set so they are easy to handle. One or two of these at the size I made them should make a substantial snack or a quick breakfast. I'm going to guess they would freeze well too.
I'm going to play around with different combinations. Let me know your creations too! Happy snacking!
Let us welcome Fall
In all its colorful display.
The third act of the year;
When Nature puts on a wild display
Of sights, of smells, of sounds.
A time of gathering;
When all creatures, great and small,
Catch a whiff of the chill in the air
And prepare to hunker down
For the long, cold, deep sleep ahead.
A time of celebrations:
Harvests and holidays.
When families come together
Sharing the bounty of the earth,
Giving thanks for such abundance.
Do not mourn the passing of summer;
It will return before long.
Do not fear the advent of winter;
It will be here soon enough.
Simply embrace the wonder of autumn
In all its splendor and glory.
There has been some buzz this year in the media and in the blogosphere about Target not carrying much in the way of plus size clothing for women. I don't normally shop for clothes at Target, so this wasn't something I gave much attention or thought.
Until this week.
My son had a class at the local community college. Since the class was a little over an hour and since there is a shopping center close by, I decided to engage in some retail therapy while waiting for him to text me. I went into a few stores, one of which was Target.
I was browsing through the "Intimates" section. I came across some bras, made by Hanes, that looked very comfortable-something that's hard to come by when you are my size. I checked the tag to see if they had a sizing chart and according to the Hanes chart, these bras were made in sizes up to 2X. Perfect, since that was the size I was looking for. Since Hanes sold the bra in that size, I expected to find at least one somewhere on the racks.
Wrong.
Hanes sold a few different styles of these types of bras, and each style came in a few colors. Every time I looked through the rack, the sizes stopped at XL. Now, it's possible that some smart gal came through and bought every single 2X bra that was stocked, but I highly doubt it. Given all of the flack plus sized women have been giving Target about their lack of variety in plus sized women's clothing, I would suspect those sizes were never stocked in the first place.
One response I have heard through the media was that Target explained that more sizes were available online. Which is fine, except I happened to be in the store at that particular moment. Stores like Target that sell a variety of items, from groceries to books to clothing, usually rely on customers' impulse buys. You go in for paper towels, and hey, while I'm here, I'll buy this purse. In order to meet that kind of demand, you should anticipate that your customers will have different tastes and be different sizes. I would have happily bought a few of those bras, an unexpected find, if they had my size.
I'm not trying to be an advocate or an activist. Target has always had a woefully small "Women's" department, kinda smushed in with the Maternity clothes. And the quality of the clothing is barely above Walmart's standards. So I don't expect much when I go there and I rarely go clothes shopping in Target. But if a brand makes a particular item in a larger size, then why wouldn't the store stock it? I guarantee that women would buy it-why wouldn't we, when it's that convenient?
I don't expect Target to change its marketing strategy. Thankfully there are a decent amount of stores out there, both physically and online, that have plenty of variety for plus sized women of every fashion sense. It's just too bad that a big box store like Target doesn't realize there's a whole demographic out there willing to give them money if the store would only accommodate them.
As for me, I will go online to look for my size in those bras. Only I will go directly to Hanes. Your loss, Target.
On this Independence Day, I reflect on how lucky I am to live in this country.
I detest politics. However, I am grateful that every American has the right to express their views, whether anyone agrees with them or not. I am also grateful that Americans have the right vote for those they wish to hold political office. We may bitch and complain about our government and those in office, but we can do so without the fear of being imprisoned or worse.
We are truly blessed that anyone may profess and practice whatever faith they believe in, even if they choose not to believe in anything. I often think many Americans take this freedom for granted. So many people around the globe are persecuted for their faith or lack of it.
This is truly a land of plenty. So many choices, so many opportunities. There are grocery stores everywhere, carrying a myriad of items. There are malls and stores a plenty....and that's not counting the vastness of the Internet. Imagine having to stand in line for food and hope that by the time you get to the front, they have anything left. We take certain things for granted: clean water, reliable electricity, garbage removal. We get frustrated when there's a brownout and we have to reset the clocks in the house. Imagine the electricity going out....for months.
And yet, with all the advantages we have, there are still many in this country that are disadvantaged in one way or another-hungry, homeless, sick and unable to receive care, straddling the poverty line. We must be grateful for all that we have and are able to achieve and mindful of those that struggle every day in our country. Do not take prosperity for granted.
This nation has its flaws; it's far from perfect. There is much to improve, some issues more important to others than to me or you. But we have the freedom to act, to dream, to travel, to stand up for what we believe in. Whenever I dare to pay attention to the news, to what goes on in some other countries, I am grateful to live in the United States.
Happy Birthday America.
Nobody likes pulling weeds. It's often a thankless task. One does it so the yard or garden doesn't turn into a jungle. Well, more often than not, my yard/garden looks like said jungle. Actually, I don't have a garden-more like aspirations of a garden. But today I was blessed with the perfect ratio of time and nice weather, so armed with my gloves, tools, repurposed toboggan which serves as a kneeler, and required Pandora app (set to the Styx station), I headed out to the jungle.
One of the reasons I like weeding is because it gives me time with my thoughts, which are many and all over the place. They can be as mundane as what to do about dinner or as abstract as spirituality. But they are usually uninterrupted because no one likes scaring the crap out of anyone with headphones on. It's also one of the few times I can listen to music uninterrupted too, sometimes realizing that I've had the lyrics to a song wrong for decades or finally understanding the meaning of a particular song.
When the weeds get really bad, as they are now, I am always amazed at what I find among them: a spade and a trowel I thought previously lost; a ridiculous amount of broken roof flaps (and we had our roof replaced two years ago!); a Pokemon toy which surprised me-my kids haven't played with Pokemon toys for a while and I'm not THAT neglectful of a gardener! (well, maybe a little bit......)
Some observations while weeding:
Baby praying mantises (?) are cute:
Baby crickets not so much, especially when they fly out in all directions.
I would much rather pull a hundred of huge weeds with spikey leaves than ten of those spreadable ones that cling to the ground. They suck.
Disturbing an ant nest is both fascinating and frustrating. I am sure I would freak out too if someone pulled the roof off my house and started rearranging everything. Then again, I don't have a million people living in my house, who would swarm the neighborhood. Once you disturb an ant colony, best to regroup and call it a day....which I did. I just thank God it wasn't a fire ant nest like the ones we dealt with in Georgia *shudder*
Two things: when working in the garden on a hot day, when you have sweat running down your face, there is nothing more blissful than a sudden, perfect cool breeze. Heaven.
And lastly, there is no more refreshing shower than the one you jump into after getting filthy and funky pulling weeds. Aaahhhh....
I foresee a weekend of this. Bring it on.
Elusive and ethereal,
Gossamer wings,
Flights of fancy,
Kaleidoscope of colors.
Fleeting beauty, so delicate,
Alighting for a moment
To drink in sweetness
And bask in warmth.
Then away again,
Fluttering off into a daydream.
(image found at svetikya.com)
