SheSue Experience

It’s been a very long time since I cried so much for a movie.  Into the Wild was it.  It is a coming of age movie, not based on adolescence or teenage angst, but that of a 23 year old.  The experiences he has, the people he meets and the lessons he learns are valuable to everyone.  It’s a movie that makes you ponder your own life.  At the same time it makes you want to just live.   And finally it makes you consider the outcomes.  Add the breathtaking scenery and it’s a movie you won’t want to miss.  But I worn you, if you watch this movie, have the box of kleenex ready.

A drive up the Clackamas River valley brought views of the changing of the leaves.  To the top left is Promontory Lake just east of the town of Estacada.

Top right is the beautiful Clackamas River.  Middle left is Highway 224 which runs beside the Clackamas River.  Fabulous camping in the summer plus some awesome

hiking.  And finally a close-up of a small shrub in the throws of it’s change.  And why, you might ask, do the leaves change color?  It has to do with the chemical make-up of the leaves, the weather, and the sunlight.  A great website that explains it all:  Why Leaves Change Color.

I tried to find other blog sites with changing leaves, but failed.  Where are you?

What’s soft and furry, plays with you like a puppy, cuddles with you like a cat and doesn’t make any sound. A bunny! They make fabulous pets for all these reasons plus they can be potty trained just like a cat. Drawbacks, they are very fragile creatures.

About 10 years ago, my daughter adopted a bunny. She was found hopping around behind the library where I worked at the time. A cross between a Checkered Giant and Rex, she was a big bunny, bigger than my lap. Like most of my daughter’s pets, I soon became attached to Booboo bunny. She had been a house pet, trained to pee in a cat box. In the mornings she would chase me around the house just like a puppy.  And then I remember how she used to sit on my lap while I petted her, and then she would stand up and lick my neck.   Bunnies can make fabulous pets. They will play with you like a puppy, then sit in your lap like a cat all the while making no noise.

Before you decide to get a bunny for a pet, be beware, they take a lot of care.   They do not like to be left alone and can do major damage by chewing furniture  if they are.  Booboo used to chew on our shoes or feet if she was being ignored. We had Booboo when I was homeschooling the kids, so somebody was always at home. Also be careful with their diet.  They have delicate digestive systems.  I remember switching her dry food and it gave Booboo the runs. Not fun for any of us.  A good book on bunny care is: “Rabbits: Complete Care Guide“.  Or check out the website My House Rabbit which has it’s own blog.

But alas, Booboo had heart issues and lived only for about 1½ years. I think I cried for about a week. These days I don’t have a pet bunny, mostly because I’m not home that much.  I feel like if you have a pet (just like children), you should be home for them.  Instead I collect bunnies.  This picture shows about half my collection.  I am in the process of building a shelf so I can get them off my dresser.  If you see a fabulous bunny somewhere, be sure to let me know!

Everybody has their favorite diet.  There seems to be about a million out there.  I’ve tried a variety of them.  One had me drinking their special shakes twice a day and have one ’sensible’ meal.  I was so hungry I started having headaches.  They told me to eat plain popcorn in between meals.  That one lasted less than a week.  I tried the Army diet, actually gained weight on that one.  Other diets were full of foods I didn’t like.

Many folks I know try the diets where you buy  special foods, mostly frozen or freeze dried.   I tried some of these frozen meals, was starving within an hour.  If you read the complete description of the diet, you are supposed to have a salad or celery or something like that with your meal.  Better.  But what are you supposed to do when you go out to eat?  Or, my pet peeve, have you checked out the ingredients on one of these packaged meals?  Talk about preservatives!

But after 40 I began to pack on a little weight, a few pounds every year until I was close to 150 pounds.  A little more than a ‘baby belly’.  I was looking more like a Buddha.  Time to do something about it.  I talked to my acupuncturist.   She suggested cutting out white flour, white sugar and white rice.  My White Out Diet. Sounds easy, but the next time you go to the grocery store, check out the ingredients on everything you buy.  Especially the sugar.

Here’s some great tips for a successful diet:

1. Stay away from packaged or canned foods.
2. Add more fruits and especially vegetables.
3. Limit your bread and pasta and only eat whole grain when you do.
4. Eat brown rice instead of white (hint, it tastes better cooked in broth).
5. Eat plenty of nuts, especially raw almonds.
6. Eat a small snack about an hour before a meal.
7. Don’t forget to add in some form of exercise.

By the way, it took me about 2 1/2 months to lose 16 pounds on my White Out Diet and have kept it off.  I actually eat more, just different foods.  I also have more energy and less intestinal issues.  It was hard at first.  I watched drooling as everyone around me ate pizza and pie.  But in time, I didn’t crave these foods anymore.  And I get to cheat.  I have my pizza on occasion or even pie, just not often and in smaller portions.

I’m not talking about a canoe. This is about the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, a historically decorated paddle wheel boat. It cruises out of the town of Cascade Locks on the Columbia River. From May through October, the sternwheeler offers sightseeing, brunch and dinner cruises. I opted for the Landmarks of the Gorge cruise, a 5-hour cruise on Wednesdays.

45 minutes from downtown Portland, the town of Cascade Locks is right in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. Find the Marine Park, then the visitor’s center. This is where you board. It’s very easy to find right off I-84. Recently over hauled, the visitor’s center is big and airy with high beamed ceilings. It has some historical artifacts including some history of paddle wheel boats. There is also the usual rack of travel brochures, a small cafe and a nice gift shop.

To board, you pass through the visitor’s center to the patio. Here you line up to get your photo taken before boarding via a long ramp. The boat has 3 decks. The 2 lower decks are set up like a restaurant with tables and chairs. The top deck is open air. I was seated with 2 friends at a nice window seat.

You are eating a lot on this cruise. Soon after leaving dock, they bring out a continental breakfast including assorted pastries, biscuits, and fresh fruit. After a couple of hours, out comes a buffet style lunch, quite the spread. And finally after another hour, they bring out a dessert buffet with many delectable delights. The lemon blueberry bars are to die for.

While cruising, you are free to roam about the boat. We wandered up to the top deck where you can visit the captain, 5 passengers at a time. This day we had 2 captains; Captain Tom who was very knowledgeable about the gorge area and Captain Misty, 1 of 2 female large boat captains west of the Mississippi. Between the 2 of them, they narrated for most of the trip. Their narration showed their love the of the area.

Part of the cruise was going through the locks at Bonneville Dam. The video here is taken from the top deck inside the locks as the doors closed. Then my camera battery died. Just after the doors close, the water begins to rise. It happens very fast. Then the doors open and you are on your way again.

I have traveled the Columbia River Gorge hundreds of time by car and foot. Being on the water was a completely different aspect. The river was low due to the time of year, so we didn’t get to see much of Multnomah Falls. According to the captain, this was the view that Lewis and Clark had. Instead we got see many other waterfalls that you don’t see from the freeway.

This was a beautiful and relaxing cruise. The food was great and the narration was fabulous. My only disappointed was that we happened to cruise on a day during forest fires on the back side of Mount Hood. This caused cloudy skies. On the other hand, how many can say they get to see snow (ash from the fires) on a warm sunny day.

I love carrots, but my eyesight, as evidenced by prior posts, is not great.  Thus I decided to check out this myth.  I, like a lot of people, were brought up believing that eating carrots would improve your eyesight.

Welcome John “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham.  In 1940, this British Royal Air Force captain became the first to shoot down an enemy plane using a newfangled invention called radar.  To keep it a secret, the British claimed that his ability to shoot down planes was because he had great eyesight due to his love of carrots.  The secret of radar was soon discovered, which should have explained the real reason why he could spot airplanes, but the carrot claim stuck.

High in beta-carotene which is a component of vitamin A, critical to vision, it is no wonder that the myth of carrots improving your eyesight has stayed around.  To add to the myth, countries where carrots and other sources of vitamins are scarce, poor vision is common.  But studies have shown that extra beta-carotene really doesn’t change one’s vision, or lack thereof.  The only variation in the study was to smokers.  Those who took the mega doses of beta-carotene actually improved their chances of not developing cataracts.

Should you stop eating carrots?  Heavens no, they are a great source of vitamins.  Instead you should stop smoking.