Apples, Oats, Fish, Beans and Avocados...

 ...that's it.  Those are the things I need to eat EVERY Day! Why?  Well about a week ago I found out my cholesterol is at 239.   Anything over 200 is considered high and some sources say 150 is best.  And  I am 239. Not cool. Now this is not a total shock. I have known that cholesterol was a struggle for me for about three years.  I made some changes back then and managed to get it under control. 

Unfortunately, over the last year, I let go of some of those habits...actually, to be honest, I let go of ALL my good habits.  I mean, I just dropped the ball big time.  Of course, here I am again. 

What's the plan? I did a bunch of research and came up with some key foods to avoid and others to eat.  So, what I am eating.....apples, oats, fish, beans and avocados. On the daily.  I am also incorporating chia/flax, soy, greens, nuts/seeds, and berries. 

What I am learning, is that when you can only five basic foods a day--- you have to get creative.  Every morning I consider my options and come up with something new.

Oats have been a big one because, while I enjoy oatmeal, I just don't want it every day.  Thank goodness for Google and online recipes! I made an oil & sugar-free granola and have been finding ways to incorporate it throughout the day.   My favorite dessert right now is soy yogurt with chopped-up apples, and oat granola, topped with a little chia/flax, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  De-Lish!  

Today I really wanted pancakes-- but that's not part of the heart-healthy plan. BUT  I got to thinking--could I make it with oatmeal? And, it turns out, YEAH absolutely.  1/2 c oatmeal soaked in 1/2 c soy milk until it gets soft. I mixed it in with a little basic pancake stuff and apples (of course).  Topped it with the date/walnut peanut butter I got in Jefferson yesterday and a splash of honey.  Double-De-Lish!  

Fish has been tough for me. Before this, I didn't think I liked tuna or salmon.  Turns out it is okay.  I bought a bunch of the pouches and have been using them to make stuff.  Stuff like delicious salmon patties, siracha tuna, mango salmon, and more. Each pouch is only around 70 to 90 calories and chock full of all the stuff I need to keep my heart happy.   I also bought some cod and salmon fillets. Air fryer fish---yes, please.  Who knew? Probably everyone but me.  

BEANS, I love them. Beans have not been hard. I made a yummy bean salad and added it to everything. I made some black beans and used them to make up some air fryer taquitos, enchiladas, and quesadillas.  Mexican-ish food--all the way! And hummus. Hummus--yes, please.  I will take all the hummus (within my calorie range of course). 

Avocados have been relatively easy, just add 1/2 avocado to lunch and dinner. It works. 

Apples are the same. Add a little apple to everything and you are there. 

Those are the big 5. Let's see how creative I can get moving forward.

Operation LDC (lower Debi's cholesterol) is back in action! 

Unconscious Bias-- or is it? Whatever it is, it's time to do better

 This weekend I have become acutely aware of the subtle ways society disrespects women and conditions them to be okay with it. It started at a basketball game. But once you start looking, it's tough to un-see it. And suddenly it's everywhere. Of course, it has always been everywhere, you have just been complacent in it--- and that, dear me, is the real problem.  Complacency allows bad things to continue unchecked. 

It has me thinking....

• Why are all the female teams lady this or lady that, Gal something, or the "ness". When you see a bobcat in the wild, do you stop and say... "well, that's not actually a bobcat--it's a lady cat"  or worse a "gal-cat'? What is that all about?  And more importantly....why are we okay with this?  Why do we tolerate it?  The female teams are bobcats, pirates, Vikings, or any other ridiculous mascot you can come up with. What is the point of adding the "lady" or "gal" in front, or the "ness" at the end? This is on the same level as the whole "lady boss" debacle and NO ONE needs that in their life.  Let's put an end to this sexist trend and focus on the awesome-"ness" of all the ATHLETES

• WHY do the boy's games have a halftime but not the girls? Do the girls not get tired after two periods?  Are they not working as hard as the boys? Is their sport not as physically grueling?  I mean, I am not much of a ball player, but I can tell you those girls I was watching yesterday left it ALL on the floor. They were badass and unapologetic about it.  And yet...no break for them. 4 periods, 8 minutes.  Power through. The boys' team on the other hand...2 periods of 8 minutes, a half-time break, followed by two more 8-minute periods.  They got a chance to at least partially rest and recover from all the running, blocking, shooting, and whatever else happens on the floor.  But the girls, nope. Power through. Push on. No break for you. I mean, after all, we have to get you off the floor so the REAL athletes can start.  But really, if you look at it....who's the tougher athlete in this scenario? The ones who got to relax and take a break or the ones who powered through?  We know who the real badasses are. 
  
  
• Still with the game....why do only boys' teams get cheerleaders?  I mean the boys' team was not playing while the girls were playing.  Couldn't they be required to come out and cheer for the girls? Support their teammates?  I am not saying they need to wear a cheerleader costume and shake their pom-poms--because really that is a whole other issue in itself. But, they could certainly sit in the stands, in their practice jerseys, and cheer on the team.  To be fair, there were a few members of both male teams standing outside the dressing room--- laughing and joking around with their friends. Paying very little attention or respect to their teammates.   But you know what, as soon as the girls' game was done, they were dressed--some in regular clothes and others in cheerleading costumes-- and posted up courtside to cheer on the boys' team.  Is there a reason ALL students are not taught or expected to support their teammates? Is that expectation--- or maybe just that generosity-- unique to females?

• And lest you think all of my examples came from a high school basketball game, let me tell you about a meeting I went to recently. Two speakers were there. One was invited as the primary speaker and was asked to speak for about 20 minutes.  This speaker has a doctorate in education and is a member of the state education agency. The second speaker was invited as a secondary speaker and was asked to speak for about 10 minutes. This speaker holds a prominent position in a local rural school district and does not have a doctorate degree.  The primary speaker-- who holds a state position and a higher degree-- spoke for 10 minutes (or less) and constantly referred to the second speaker as if they were the expert.  Then when the secondary speaker's time came, they spoke for 20-plus minutes and referred to the first speaker without using their hard-earned title of DR (this is a major pet peeve of mine. I am not saying use the title in everyday interactions. But in professional settings? Abso-freaking -lutely. Honor the degree). IMHO they even slid in a few jabs at the primary speaker's approach (but I might be sensitive to it).  Okay, if you have been following me throughout this chat, you can probably figure out which speaker was female and which one was male. 
  
  
• Now please note, I am not saying either of these speakers did any of these actions intentionally. I am sure that the first speaker (who, as you now know, was female) was being polite and respectful by trying to share the time with and acknowledge the second speaker. I am also sure that the second speaker (male) never intentionally tried to take more time than he was allotted, position himself as the authoritative one, or disrespect speaker number one. And THAT'S my point. It's so ingrained that it becomes our unconscious way of being.  It's just the way things are.  I do wonder though, do you think the primary speaker learned what was expected during her early school years--perhaps on a "lady" sports team. Was she conditioned to defer? 
  
  
• I am also aware that not ALL school districts disrespect their female athletes so blatantly-- but it does seem to be the rule more than the exception. And I am also sure it is not limited to sports. 

So, what's the big deal, right? Why am I bothered by this? Boys' sports take priority. It doesn't mean the girls aren't important, it's just the way things are.  The girls don't mind.  They don't mind being called ladies and gals. They don't mind that smaller crowds attend their games (although that could be due to the earlier start time -- which is another subtle slight).  It's just the way sports work.  

Here is why it's an issue.  This process is teaching these girls to accept less. To ask for less. To be smaller even.  We are conditioning our young women to accept their place in this "man's world." Play hard, leave it all on the floor.  Then when your game is over, come out and cheer on the real team.  

Boys, who become men, are taught to take up space.  To be loud.  To be direct. To be an authority. To be in charge. To demand respect.   Even their deeper voices seem to command an audience to listen.  Is that their fault? Should they take up less space? Ask for less respect?  No, of course not.  But --- could we perhaps teach our girls--who become women-- the same things? Could we treat them the same way?  Could we encourage them to demand respect? To take up space. To be loud. To be direct. To be in charge. To never back down. Never defer.  To never accept less than they want, deserve, or earn.  To be THEMSELVES.  

I hope my granddaughters never experience this. I want them to go to a school where their teams are not labeled with feminine add-ons to differentiate them from the "real" players and where parents, community members, school leaders, and classmates support ALL teams equally. Regardless of gender.   I want my granddaughters to grow up to become strong, confident, independent, respected women--- and to NEVER be belittled or labeled because of it. Is that too much to ask for? 

Maya Angelou once said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better,  do better." 

It's 2024.  I think as a society, we know better.  Now it's time to step up and DO BETTER. 

2024-- The year of "No Shoulding on Myself"

 January 1, 2024.

Feels so crazy to type that. 2024! What?  How are we here? Since the pandemic in 2020, it feels like our country has been stuck. Stagnant?  In a Groundhog's Day kind of loop.  

But, me-- I have done all kinds of things since then. Lost family members, moved across the country, changed jobs, and tried to find a way to balance my fantasy self and my real self.   So, what does 2024 hold for me?  That's the question we are all asking ourselves right now, isn't it? What are my goals for this year? What are our resolutions?

Mine is simple-- stop "should-ing" on myself and listen to what I want or need in the moment. Live simpler. Live for me.  Let go of expectations. So while others are doing "no spend" years, "Dry January," and setting aggressive goals to lose weight, hike more, learn a new language, fall in love, and change their lives ( all of which I have tried in the past), I am going to focus on a "No Shoulds" year.  

That is my goal.  Stop forcing myself to do...or feeling guilty when I don't do...things that others or my fantasy self expect me to do.  Just listen to my real self at the moment and figure out what nurtures me at that time. 

Today is January 1.  My head says I "SHOULD" be out on a First Day Hike, communing with nature, and the hundreds of other people trying to get into the state parks.  My homebody heart says, stay home, avoid the crowds,  take down Christmas decorations, watch the Rose Parade, and relax on my day off.   So, that's what I am doing. Might even make some protein pancakes in a bit!

And that's as far as I have gotten....nothing else on my agenda because my goal is to listen to my head, heart, and body and do what feels right at that time. 

That is not to say I don't have some things I want to embrace this year.  I do.  I am human. We always have things we want to do.  It just means I am going to be gentle with myself as I incorporate them. 

1. Reconnect with things that used to bring me joy but somehow got lost-- art, writing, yoga, reading, etc. 

2. Take more day trips. Go exploring. Nothing grand. Just short day trips that fit into my budget and my life. 

3. Spend more time with people who make me happy--  kids, grands, family, and friends. 

4. Focus on self-care. Make healthy choices and accept me where I am.

5. Be open to whatever comes my way. Embrace opportunities. 

So, that's it. Nothing overly grand, but so VERY important.  Just loving me and enjoying life.  Whatever that looks like in the moment.

While the approaches may change, the overarching focus will hold true. Starting with 30-Day Yoga Flow with Adrianne. Reconnecting with something that used to bring me joy. Looking forward to the "flow."

Happy always,

Debi

You do You

On my mind today...

When it comes to personal choices that only impact the individual, what does it have to do with anyone else? Why must we waste resources debating these concepts? Involving the government? I mean... what does it have to do with the government? What? Why? 

I am a PRO individual choice. 

If you don't want to be gay....don't be gay.

If you don't want to have an abortion...don't have an abortion.

If you don't want to marry someone of the same sex....don't marry someone of your same sex, 

If you don't want to change your gender identity...don't change your gender identity.

If you don't want to read a certain book...don't read the book.

If you don't want to believe what someone else believes.. don't believe it. 

If you don't want to use marijuana...don't use it.

I mean come on.. It seems pretty simple to me. 

If you are not directly involved in the decision or the consequences... stay out of it.  Not for you.  You know? You do you, Boo.  And let everyone else, do everyone else.  

Posts I wish I had written......

 Everyday I am faced with stories and I think....oh I need to write that down so I can remember it.  Then, the moment passes, and I don't.  I need a good system. Maybe a voice recorder to record my thoughts when I have them to transcribe later. Maybe a notebook with me at all times.  Maybe a combination of both or something totally different! All I know for sure is that I am missing out on moments I want to remember. I just re-read my reflection on the January 6 2021 attack. Being able to return to how I felt in that exact moment was powerful. It would not have been so raw and real had I tried to recreate it days later.  

Things I have wanted to record but didn't.....

1. Papa telling the story of how he played the first game in the Apple Springs High School gym when it was completed 80 YEARS AGO! Yep, that's right 80 YEARS! What? !  He still goes over there to watch the games and is basically treated like ROYALTY.  He doesn't pay. The principle or one of the other administrators meets him at the door when he pulls up and walks him to the benches. He parks right in front of the school (in tne no parking area) which appears to be reserved for him. And YES at 96 years old, he is still driving himself around Apple Springs.  Fun times. 

2. The story Papa told me about how the old family church came to be. Who all the people were, where they lived, and how he knew them. Then the funny side story about how he had to go track down Uncle Jack (I think) to take him down to a neighbor's house to help deliver a cow...or maybe it was a horse.  Anyway. No phones in those days. So the neighbor told someone headed to Pa Clayton's store that they needed the "Doc." Pa Clayton told Papa to go get "Uncle Jack" (that may not be right). And the rest of the adventure began. This conversation then led to the first phones in the community. The first cars, and all the changes Papa has lived through.  He is at the point in his live where he LOVES recounting his stories and I truly enjoying hearing them! If only I could remember to record them! Next Time.

3. The story of the first time Papa saw a plane. He was outside working with Pa Clayton and they heard a strange noise. Once they finally figured out what it was, Pa Clayton grabbed his gun and started shooting at it! They thought it was probably looking for hidden stills or moonshiners and Pa didn't want them around. I asked Papa if Pa Clayton had a still and he said "Of Course NOT" but a lot of their neighbors did and Pa didn't want anyone bugging them!

4. Funny things my grandchildren have said or done. They are the MOST precious littles of all time-- obviously-- and I want to remember all the moments with them!

4. Reflections on my trip to Fort Parker and learning about the events that took place there.  That one is actually still relatively recent and the memories' are mine, so maybe I will actually write about that one day! 

I know there are a TON more because I remember having the thought that I should record these, but what it was is lost forever.  Do better Debi!!!

Any tips out there to help a girl out?  

The Day the Martians Invaded- Stories from Papa

Scene:  the day is October 30, 1936.  A young RC Davis (aka Papa) had been helping his Dad (Pa Clayton) at their Country Store. At some point during the evening he had to go back to their house for some reason. When he got home, he walked into the kitchen, turned on the radio, and found out that life as he knew it had changed forever---or so it seemed. 

 Papa stood transfixed as tales of martians landing, attacking, taking over poured out of the radio. He was, understandably so, TERRIFIED! He was alone. And all thoughts of WHY he had come home were long gone!  

 He ran out of the house and all the way back to the store. He ran into the building screaming, frantic, FREAKED out. Yelled for Pa Clayton to turn on the  radio and they stood together listening to the rest of the attack. Mars exploding. Aliens landing. People being annihilated with ray guns. The military attacking, reports going silent, people frantically calling out for anyone--is anyone there? Then at least  there is a survivor detailing the alien occupation and the ultimate defeat of the Martians by microbes.

So, what happened? Was Earth under attack? Had Aliens invaded? Was this the end?  No, of course not. This was the day, Halloween Eve, that Orson Wells took the country on an unexpectedly terrifying adventure and allegedly caused wide spread panic for those who missed the beginning of the broadcast that clarified it was only a story. The hour long program ended with Orson comparing the show to "dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying 'boo!'" 

This was The War of the Worlds.  

Did wide spread panic ensue? Did people think was true? The reports I ready seem to have different conclusions, but I can say for certainty that for a young boy in East Texas, Orson met his goal of FREAKING the listener out!   86 years later, that "boy" remembers every minute of that experience.  Well Played, Orson. Well Played.

 

 

Went for Ice, Came Home with a WIFE--Storeies from Papa

In the Way Back Times of June 1943, my Papa, RC Davis, was 16 years old. I presume he was a relatively normal teenager doing whatever normal teens did in 1943. Times were different then, of course, so I don't know if it is appropriate to say that he was a teenager. He had finished school and was helping out his dad, my Great-Grandfather, Clayton Davis, in his various businesses. Pa Clayton did many things over the years, including (but not limited to) running a country store and delivering ice to local families in the Nogalus and surrounding areas. 

 

My Papa (RC) was responsible for the weekly ice deliveries. He would take the truck to Groveton on delivery days, pick up the big blocks of ice, and then make the rounds to distribute the ice. Families would leave the money indicating how much ice they wanted that week and he would unload the proper amount and put it in their icebox, chest, or wherever ice went in 1943. 

 Saturday, June 26, 1943 probably started off like any other normal ice run. RC headed to Groveton for a trip to the ice house. But on that particular Saturday morning, one Lona Kennedy, age 17, walked out to Hwy 94 and hopped on the bus to Groveton. Once she got there, she met up with RC and their adventure began. Now, RC and Lona (also known as Papa and Mamaw) had been dating, or courting if that is more appropriate, for a couple of years. They had started talking about getting married someday, but hadn't decided when or where that someday would be.. 

 Those two crazy kids decided to go for a drive that fateful Saturday morning. As the day wore on, they realized that "someday" had arrived and it was a good day to get married. Remember, it was a Saturday and not many things were open---but it was a also a small town and most people knew each other. So, even though the county offices were closed, RC knew where the County Clerk lived and decided to stop by and take a chance. The clerk was outside, working in her garden, tending to her tomatoes, and presumably enjoying her day off. 

Not to be deterred, RC shared their plan and asked if she would help them out. Now you might think she would brush them off and admonish them for disrupting her day off. But that was not the case. Fortunately, she must have been a fan of young love because she agreed to their plan. She dusted off the dirt and they headed to her office where she prepared the marriage license for them. 

First step down-- license secured. BUT they still needed to find someone to perform the ceremony. Once again living in a small town paid off. They headed to the home of a minister they knew and asked him to marry them. Fortune smiled on the young lovers again and he agreed. So, there at the minister's house, with no family or friends of their own-- just the two of them, and the minister's family, RC Davis and Lona Kennedy became husband and wife.  And thus began the journey to me. But we will save that story for another day. 

So what happens after these two crazy teens tied the knot? Did they run off together? Go out partying--(whatever partying in 1943 looked like)? NOPE! They realized it was time to tell the families and off they went. First stop, the Kennedy's. Lona and RC drove to her parent's house, Grover and Gertie Kennedy (aka Ma Gertie and Pa Grover), to share the news. I imagine them driving up slowly, excited but also very nervous. Maybe clutching hands and wondering if it was all a crazy dream they were going to wake up from. Of course, what do I know...it was 25 years before I was born. They could have screeched in to the driveway, throwing dirt, and whooping it up like it was two-thousand zero zero party's over, oops out of time!  You choose your own version! 

What I do know is that, Papa got out of the truck and very politely approached Pa Grover. Again I imagine him holding his hat in one hand while extending the other to Lona's dad and saying "Mr. Kennedy, I want to let you know that Lona and I just got married." Pa Grover looked at these two giddy lovers, shook his head (poetic license allowed here), and said what we would expect any girl dad to say in this situation, "Well, let's cut open a watermelon." I mean what else are you going to do on a suddenly not so random June Saturday in Texas? To be fair, Papa said that Pa Grover was known around town for having the best watermelons--- so this was not some run of the mill watermelon. This was a MARRIAGE feast watermelon. Highly appropriate and a great way to toast the newly weds. 

 After the watermelon was eaten and the visiting was done, it was time to go see the Davis'. Papa was proud, and I imagine perhaps slightly nervous, to introduce his wife to his parents But it appears all went well and the new couple was received with open arms. After a little more visiting, possibly some more food, they went back to Groveton to spend their first night as husband and wife in a hotel--- and we will just leave the story right there. 

 UNLESS you are like me, and are really concerned about the ice. I mean what happened to the ice? Did it get picked up?  Delivered? Did it melt in the truck? Was Pa Clayton left with a ton of ice to deliver the next day? Did people have to come pick up their own ice?  Were the communities of Nogalus and surrounding areas left ice less that summer weekend? Did their food spoil?  What happened??  As it turns out, no ice was picked up or delivered that day.  So, was the lack of ice and any potential inconvenience to faithful customers worth it? 

 I would say so. RC and Lona were married for 64 years-- wait, what? Can that be right? Let's see...they married in 1943 and Mamaw passed away in 2007. 2007-1943= 64 years. 64 years, four months, and 1 day to be exact-ish until the day Mamaw moved on to whatever comes next. That's a long time. A life I am sure was filled with ups and downs, mistakes and successes, challenges and adventures, but most of all an enduring love between a 16 years old kid and his 17 year old bride.

 --- as told by RC Davis with related commentary and speculation from me, Debi Gresham., the first granddaughter  (third grandchild--but first girl) of those two crazy kids!