Hope For The Future

Tomorrow: Inauguration Day 2009 :-)

The image to the left was created by Shepard Fairey, a Los Angeles-based street artist who was born and raised in Charleston, SC. It represents the hope so many of us feel about Barack Obama becoming our new president. It's heart warming to know that most of the world was rejoicing with us as he won the presidential election last November. My cousin in Austria wrote in a recent email that she stayed up all night anxiously waiting for the results to come in. Below are just a few photographs from the Huffington Post that show the worldwide jubilation at Obama's victory. He's got one heck of a mess to deal with, but who better to get our country started on the clean up?

Good Luck President Obama.
(President Obama sounds so good)

Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois

Greece

India

Basra, Iraq

Israel

Japan

Kenya

Moscow

Philippines

A Couch Potato Kind Of Day

I'm often envious of our cats. Frequently their biggest decision is which couch to sleep on, which sounds easy, but at our house there may be a cat on every couch... what to do?

At first I thought Frosty had this couch to himself but quickly noticed something furry under the blue pillow...

... I can guess who this is...

...can you?

Yup - Chappu...

...who wasn't all that happy that I'd invaded her hiding spot.

Meanwhile, on the other couch...

... Obi and Calvin are sharing the couch with Saeed.

Within minutes, though, things change. Calvin had to get up to eat so he lost his spot to Chappu and Obi.

Chappu keeps her man in place.

And although it appears Obi's enjoying it he did, in fact, swing around after I took this picture and tell her to "Buzz Off!"

Ok, so where had Frosty gone? He decided there was too much commotion going on with all this musical chairs, I mean couches, and left for a quiet spot on the couch in the computer room.

"Hey, what did you wake me up for?"

"Maybe if I put my head down she'll go away."

Tippy, who had been following me around during all of this decided to settle on the other end of Frosty's couch.

Back in the living room Saeed had left, leaving a nice warm spot for Chappu, and Calvin went back in his spot.

With all this moving around it's no wonder they're always tired and need so much sleep.

Being A Locavore

Even before I read The Omnivore's Dilemma Saeed and I were very interested in buying our produce and eggs from a local source. We appreciate this connection between what our money supports and nature and the earth and what goes into our mouths. Since there isn't a thriving local market in our town (the local "Farm Market" gets most everything from non-local sources) we have been slack in taking the effort to seek out the markets in our area that provide locally grown/raised items.

One of my book club friends just sent out information for the Matthews (NC) Community Farmers' Market and I'm excited! It's not exactly local since Matthews is 32 miles away but perhaps that does qualify. Saeed and I want to aggressively seek out even more local farmers and plan to do so.

All these photographs are from their website,
since we haven't gone yet.

Eating locally grown foods, of course, is limited to what grows in each season. If you live in Vermont, for example, you'd starve unless you "put up" (canned) from the warmer, more prolific months.

As you can see from the chart we'd better like dark leafy greens...







...and radishes!









Fortunately other types of "artisan" products are also available such as fresh breads and fresh goat cheese. Yum!

I'm looking forward to our fieldtrips!

How Many Pages Is It?!?

We had a rousing discussion last night at book club about The Omnivore's Dilemma and discussed our next book, Birds Without Wings. After realizing that this book is 576 pages long we decided to give it two months and meet again to discuss it in March. We love the challenge, but all of my co-readers work full time and many have small children, thus the modified schedule. The member who proposed this book has had us read a couple of other doozies, namely My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk and Independence Day by Richard Ford. I really liked both of them but they were just too much (too deep or too literary) for some of the others. Nevertheless, I am so glad I have found a club that likes to read and discuss books of substance.

I guess Harry Potter book 5 will just have to wait.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

I am just pages away from finishing this book for book club Tuesday night (too bad I'm doing 500 loads of laundry and cleaning the house instead of reading it.) I have read so many health books, nutrition books, ethical eating books, how-to-eat-so-you'll-never-die books, that I just didn't think I'd want to read this.... same old same old.

Nope! It's wonderful. Pollan is a wonderful writer for so many reasons that you find yourself just pulled into what would seem such a boring subject. First of all, he just writes well. For those of us who love to read that alone has value. Secondly, he writes in such a balanced way that you never feel that he's trying to force a point of view on you. He looks at all sides of an issue although it's clear that he's not happy about the industrialization of our commercial food production. And lastly, he writes with such a humorous and personal flair. He puts himself is some pretty crazy situations to obtain his information first hand.

So what's it about? I think the easiest way to convey that is to let you read the first chapter (in pdf form.) I highly recommend this book.

Recycled Pets

Click on this if you'd like to vote for an animal shelter to help them win some much needed money. If you don't have a favorite shelter or rescue group please vote for the one in our town which serves as a much needed no-kill shelter. (go all the way to the bottom and click on SC)

Recycle Pets, Inc. in Rock Hill, SC is run entirely by volunteers (Shirin and Gabriel helped them out when they still lived here) who work really hard to provide a comfortable, safe environment for animals until they can find them a permanent home. Five of our kitties came from Recycled Pets: Calvin, Frosty Paws, Layli, Lupe and Chappu. Anahita's Delilah (Lupe and Chappu's sister) also came from R.P. We owe them a lot.

Please vote for Recycled Pets, Inc. in Rock Hill, SC.

Thank you!

Spring In January

What an unbelievable day we had yesterday. 70 degrees on January 5 with the windows open, the sun shining, and a nice breeze wafting in. If she could, Banu would always be in front of an open window.

Yes dear, I am taking your picture again.

Plastic Water

Just in case any of my loved ones out there are still drinking bottled water out of plastic bottles - DON'T! Again another study came out regarding both the unhealthy chemicals that leach into the water from the plastic and the fact that the water in the bottles is no better (and often worse) than what comes out of your tap. In addition, tap water is free and doesn't necessitate any transportation costs or contribute to the pollution made from the gas to drive it to your store or from the manufacture of the plastic.

In 1976 Congress passed The Safe Drinking Water Act and then in 1996 amendments were added to 1) require utilities to notify the public about any detected regulated contaminant and any water quality violation, and 2) the public's right to know what's in their drinking water with an annual water quality report that comes out about July 1. This report lets you know what contaminants, if any, are in your drinking water and how these contaminants may affect your health and lists all the regulated toxicants that were detected in your water over the preceding calendar year.

Some great links:

* CCR (Consumer Confidence Reports): http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccr/index.html

* How to read your water quality report in a pdf file: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/chemical-contaminants/How%20to%20Read%20Your%20Water%20Quality%20Report.pdf

* a consumer watch organization called Food and Water Watch: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

So what do you carry your tap water around in? A stainless steel bottle. They're lightweight, virtually unbreakable, have non-leaching caps, and last a long time. They're also the "in" thing, so you'll look good too! I'll have to take a picture of my fine self and my new stainless steel bottle and post it for you... something to look forward to :-)

Bit Of Illinois Humor

My sister sent this recently:
It's funny but it's sad. I'm sure there's some SC politician making my license plate as well. People like this give rise to the phrase "slimy politician." Just in case you're young and don't recognize the fellow on the left it's former Republican Governor George Ryan, who was found guilty of tax evasion, racketeering and mail fraud, with some lesser charges thrown in for good measure. But now wait, everyone in this country is innocent until proven guilty, right? So if Blagojevich can just permanently suspend time......

Principles

"It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them."

This was said by Alfred Adler, a famous Austrian doctor and psychologist living at the turn of the century. As I reflect on his statement I find that whether I agree with it depends on the topic.

For example, I find it very easy to follow an animal-friendly lifestyle in an attempt to reduce my contribution to animal suffering but feel quite reticent to prescribe it to others. Having been on the receiving end (however well meant) of the rantings and ravings of someone who feels that they know what's "right,'' I know that I don't want to do that to others.


On the other hand, there are lifestyle principles that are obviously good but I have a harder time living up to them. Backbiting, for example, is nearly impossible to withstand in an office full of women. That doesn't mean I don't try and won't continue to try to disentangle myself from this ritual of negativity. Inspite of Baha'i writings about backbiting (How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others?/ Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner/...and should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men/Even if what is said against another person be true, the mentioning of his faults to others still comes under the category of backbiting/. . backbiting as grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart) I find myself pulled into the cycle of gossiping.

I guess my New Year's resolution will be to try much harder to live up to my principles. That doesn't sound like much fun, but it really doesn't have to be about sacrifice and restraint, like giving up cheese :-) It's possible that one of my principles is... to have more fun!