My Daughter's Birthday

You just ran out the door to play with Michele, now I've turned around and you are graduating from high school and is it really true that your first son is now in college and you are.... over 40?

It has gone by so quickly. All those moments of wondering if you would ever sleep through the night, get your homework done on time, make your bed, pick up your clothes, get through college safely (you were nearly on the bridge in California during the Loma Linda earthquake) and then one day you were struggling with your own babies not sleeping.

Sigh... I am so very proud of you. You have been climbing your own mountains for a long time and I think you are finally able to turn around and look at the view... you should be just as proud of your accomplishments as I am... a loving and devoted wife, a funny and responsible mother and stepmother, a woman of integrity who recently (and casually) told me she is a partner in a patent!

May this birthday mark the beginning of a new year of many joys leaving behind the "annus horribilus" and all its challenges -  you certainly deserve it!

And may I add how grateful I am for being a part of the whole adventure? So glad you came into my life and enriched it so measurably!

Not tame, and very bad... neotame

I was sent this information by a trusted friend who is paying attention to ingredients.....
" Just when we thought that buying “Organic” was safe, we run headlong into the deliberate poisoning of our organic food supply by the FDA in collusion with none other than the folks who brought us Aspartame. 
NutraSweet, a former Monsanto asset, has developed a new and improved version of this neurotoxin called Neotame.

Neotame has similar structure to aspartame — except that, from it’s structure, appears to be even more toxic than aspartame. This potential increase in toxicity will make up for the fact that less will be used in diet drinks. Like aspartame, some of the concerns include gradual neurotoxic and immunotoxic damage from the combination of the formaldehyde metabolite (which is toxic at extremely low doses) and the excitotoxic amino acid. 

But surely, this product would be labeled! NOT SO!!! For this little gem, no labeling required. And it is even included in USDA Certified Organic food.

The food labeling requirements required for aspartame have now been dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. Neotame has been ruled acceptable, and without being included on the list of ingredients, for:

USDA Certified Organic food items. 
Certified Kosher products with the official letter k inside the circle on labels. (Janet Hull)

Let me make this perfectly clear. Neotame does not have to be included in ANY list of ingredients! 

So, if you buy processed food, whether USDA Certified Organic or not, that food most likely will contain Neotame because it is cost-effective, and since no one knows it is there, there is no public backlash similar to what is happening with Aspartame. A win/win situation!

But that’s not all. Just love chowing down on that delicious steak? Well, that cow most likely will have been fed with feed containing…..you guessed it…..Neotame! A product called “Sweetos,” which is actually composed of Neotame, is being substituted for molasses in animal feed."

Do your own research. But you might want to be finding a farmer who is not feeding anything but grass to beef cattle if you are eating meat.

I am on a deliberate campaign to change my cellular structure so that I can eat anything at all and it has no deleterious effects on me... and that includes chocolate!!

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A Goal Reached!

Four years ago, plus or minus a few weeks, I arrived in Sequim. My choice to live here was based on two major factors: 1) It is a community that supports senior citizens in a variety of ways (health, transportation and social activities to name a few) and 2) It was less than three hours away from my daughter's family.

Well, this spring #2 became a little further away when they moved to Issaquah. But I still love my life in Sequim.

Another thing that happened about four years ago was going to the Sequim Arts Association members show at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in their parish hall. As I walked around, I thought to myself, "Self, someday we are going to be in this show."

Dungeness Spit Sunset (2016) Watercolor (8.5 X 10)

Dear readers, this year I am reaching that goal! This is my second art show in the U.S. and I have three entries. The name of the group has changed to the Olympic Peninsula Arts Association and this event is only open to members.

Two watercolors and one photograph are entered; shown here.

Before having them framed, I had Clear Image in Sequim take proper scans of them and make one copy for sale. I am not willing to part with the originals at this time.

And, by the time I got through with the scans, matting and framing, I have invested over $200 in all three of them. Most folks in Sequim want to buy something for about $35. It's just not possible for me to provide an original with my creative work and have it ready to hang at that price.

Bluejay (2016) Watercolor (10 x 10.25)

But this photo was selected by John Brewer, (Publisher Emeritus now) when I was working at the Peninsula Daily News to be on their webpage as representative of a summer day. So I thought it must still be worthy enough to be a candidate for my three entries.

Lake Crescent Visitor (2015) Photography (8.5 x 10)

I don't know if any of these will be selected as 'winners' in the show; that is such a subjective game played in the art world. But I am happy with them myself, and that is what really counts.

The Artists Reception is on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and the show opens on Thursday, Oct. 13 through Sunday, Oct. 16, at the St. Luke's Episcopal Church parish hall, 525 Fifth Ave., Sequim, Washington.

I so wish my family could come out here and be part of my celebration of accomplishment, but a dear friend has announced she will come and be my 'witness' for achievement, and that is a special event for me!

I will take some pictures at the reception to share at a later date.

Thank you for stopping by and especially for any encouraging comments...