tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56669983842165909752024-03-13T01:39:55.609-05:00Set the TableC'mon grab a plate...let's enjoy some good food and conversation.Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-62213750899324439582012-04-10T14:31:00.000-05:002012-04-10T14:31:57.189-05:00Breast Milk is a Formula for Success<div class="standard_template template NS_26y3wwn123" id="blog_post_template" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="main_text" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Baby formula is big business as it is the primary source of food for most American babies during their first 6-12 months of life.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Due to the necessity of ensuring that our nation’s babies are eating safe and healthy food, infant formula is heavily monitored and regulated by the the<a href="http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=2&tax_subject=257&topic_id=1352" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Formula is also attracting a lot of attention from our nation’s public health departments.</a></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Though formula has proven to be generally safe, and has reared millions of babies; not everyone is in agreement that more formula is better. The Washington County Breastfeeding Coalition (WCBC) envisions “a community where breastfeeding is the norm and where families are supported and empowered to achieve their breastfeeding goals.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WCBC is a refreshingly passionate alliance of men and women representing Allina Medical, Fairview Lakes, Grace Medical Supply,La Leche League, Lakeview Health, Stillwater Medical Group, Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and Woodwinds. WCBC is part of a growing movement seeking to educate the public that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the short-term conveniences of formula.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>The Creation of a Milk Substitute: Baby Formula</strong><b><br />
</b></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The vast majority of babies were breastfed at the start of the twentieth century and many received supplemental food, often a mixture of cow’s milk, water, cream, and sugar or honey. This mixture became the subject of study by Dr. Thomas Morgan Rotch (1849-1914) as he created lab trials and studied babies’ reactions to the ingestion of various cow’s milk formulations</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">These results were introduced to the public as the “Percentage Method,” which marked the beginning of a move away from breastfeeding and toward manufactured milk products. Percentage, or “formula” feeding, grew in popularity as companies, in addition to the government, began marketing formula as a more scientifically pure and sanitary food source than mother’s milk. By the 1950’s, over half of all American babies were reared on formula and by the 1970’s, over 75% of American babies grew up on synthetic formulas.<br />
<b><br />
At Issue: Climbing Obesity Rates and Resulting Chronic Diseases are Now a Major Public Health Concern<br />
</b>Clinical studies which draw a comparison between bottle-fed and breastfed babies demonstrate a huge advantage for the “breast is best” argument. The<a href="http://www2.aap.org/healthtopics/breastfeeding.cfm" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> American Academy of Pediatrics</a>recommends that infants be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life, then breastfed and provided complementary foods up to a year or more.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In 2011, US Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin issued a<a href="http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/breastfeeding/calltoactiontosupportbreastfeeding.pdf" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding</a>, which included a detailed account of the significant health benefits of breastfeeding for babies and their mothers. It also described a number of ways breastfeeding benefits overall public health:<br />
<br />
“For nearly all infants, breastfeeding is the best source of infant nutrition and immunologic protection, and it provides remarkable health benefits to mothers as well. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to become overweight and obese.” - Dr. Benjamin, US Surgeon General</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Call to Action cites a number of disproportionately higher health risk factors for those babies that are bottle-fed versus those breastfed. For example, bottle-fed babies have: 250% more likely risk of being hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infections, 100% more likely risk of having acute ear infections, and 30% more likely to become an obese baby. Mothers who have not breastfed suffer as well- they have a 27% more likely risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Surgeon General’s Office also draws a direct connection between bottle-feeding and later-in-life chronic disease such as diabetes (60% more likely). The Call to Action also discusses the nation’s financial burdens that are associated with the short-term and long-term illnesses that arise as a result of bottle-feeding. <br />
<br />
The Minnesota Department of Health issued their own <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/obesity/obesityplan/obesityplan.html" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">call to action</a>, citing breastfeeding as a primary means of combating obesity and obesity-related illnesses. This has helped to spur the growth of groups like WCBC.<br />
<br />
Fairview Lakes Lactation Consultant and WCBC member Sheila Humphrey, R.N., IBCLC, tirelessly advocates for both babies and mothers alike. She lights up a room when she gives her spiel: “Each mother’s milk is tailor-made for that particular baby in order to boost his/her immunological system. Breastfeeding sets the stage for that baby’s health path from infancy to adulthood, helping to prevent childhood cancers and later-in-life issues such as diabetes and high cholesterol.”<br />
<b><br />
The Challenge: Balancing Motherhood and Employment<br />
</b>The spike in formula usage coincided with the post World War II movement of women into the workforce, and then again during the height of the feminist and women’s liberation movement. That is no mere coincidence; being a working mom is challenging to say the least.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Though the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guidelines allows a new mother 12 weeks of protected leave from her job, a majority of women return to work 6 weeks after birth. These women often find it very difficult to continue with breastfeeding, due to challenges with finding places to pump and store milk, as well as encountering non supportive co-workers and employers. Coincidentally, the Center for Disease Control (CDC)<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/nis_data/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2006 National Immunization Study</a> found that 80% of Minnesota infants are initially breastfed, yet only 16% are exclusively breastfed at six months of age.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WCBC has created a “Returning to Work” document, full of helpful tips such as: “Negotiate with your employer for break time.” and “Breastfed babies mean fewer sick days.” WCBC is also finalizing a comprehensive toolkit designed to provide clinics with resources and suggestions to help prepare women for breastfeeding and provide postpartum support.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WCBC discovered that physicians are very interested and ready to implement large-scale changes. “In addition to patient resources, they are asking for assistance with setting up lactation rooms and policies to support their own staff,“ explained Kim Ball, Washington County Senior Community Health Specialist. “The medical administrators are saying, ‘we need to practice what we preach, and it starts here in our clinics.’” said Ball.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Public Health Means Systems Change: WCBC Members Set Big Goals</b></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WCBC was established in 2010 with support from Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) funds. Their initial efforts were to: develop a <a href="http://www.livinghealthywc.org/Breastfeeding.html" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">lactation resource guide</a>, offer professional breastfeeding training and support the local partners working on breastfeeding issues including the three hospital systems that initiated the Baby Friendly Hospital (BFHI) certification process.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Baby Friendly, USA</a> supports those hospitals seeking a quality improvement program for their maternity services by providing policy and systems- change implementation guidelines. To ensure best practices in support of breastfeeding, BFHI requires hospitals to stop the practice of accepting free or reduced-cost formula—a bold move considering that gifts of formula have historically presented a huge cost-savings for hospitals.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“By accepting free formula you are, in a sense, part of the formula marketing and endorsement plan,” explained Jeanette Schwartz, Clinical Director for the Maternity Care Center at Woodwinds.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In addition to training staff for participation in BFHI, Woodwinds also used SHIP funds to start up an in-house donor-milk system as a bridge for babies in need of breast milk, but unable to receive milk from their own mothers.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“It’s not that we won’t offer formula, but under BFHI guidelines, we have clear priorities: breast feed first, use expressed milk second, utilize donor milk third, and if need be, use formula as a last effort,” said Schwartz. “We anticipate our families returning home feeling confident in their ability to continue with breastfeeding.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Now the Washington County Breastfeeding Coalition (WCBC) focus is to create more breastfeeding supports within medical clinics. Future endeavors may include community and work site supports for breastfeeding. Maggie Domski, WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator, is witness to the huge transformation in the way women feed their babies, “The WIC breastfeeding initiation rates have risen dramatically over the years and currently 80% of WIC moms initiate breastfeeding in Washington County.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.429em; margin-bottom: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With the goal of helping families and communities to give their children the best start in life to become healthy and productive adults, WCBC is creating ripples of change in what may soon be a tidal wave.</div></div><div class="legroom headroom" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></div><div class="spacer NS_26y3wwn123" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="share_and_discuss_box headroom legroom pie-clearfix border-top NS_22nv3xio0d NS_26y3wwn123" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(201, 201, 201); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 0.071em; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.714em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="facebook_like_wrapper float-left" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><fb:like action="recommend" class="float-left fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget" href="http://woodbury.patch.com/blog_posts/breast-milk-is-a-formula-for-success" layout="button_count" send="false" show_faces="false" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin-right: 15px; position: relative;" width="116"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><iframe class="fb_ltr" id="f21af46fd" name="fa4c052f" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?action=recommend&api_key=124197974267398&channel_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-static.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fconnect%2Fxd_proxy.php%23cb%3Df17f8d17c8%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwoodbury.patch.com%252Ff1da785754%26relation%3Dparent.parent%26transport%3Dpostmessage&extended_social_context=false&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwoodbury.patch.com%2Fblog_posts%2Fbreast-milk-is-a-formula-for-success&layout=button_count&locale=en_US&node_type=link&sdk=joey&send=false&show_faces=false&width=130" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: text-bottom; width: 130px;" title="Like this content on Facebook."></iframe></span></fb:like></div><div class="twitter_bookmark_wrapper float-left" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-share-button twitter-count-horizontal" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.1333526973.html#_=1334086252272&count=horizontal&id=twitter-widget-2&lang=en&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwoodbury.patch.com%2Fblog_posts%2Fbreast-milk-is-a-formula-for-success&size=m&text=Breast%20Milk%20is%20a%20Formula%20for%20Success%20-%20Woodbury%2C%20MN%20Patch&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwoodbury.patch.com%2Fblog_posts%2Fbreast-milk-is-a-formula-for-success" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 107px;" title="Twitter Tweet Button"></iframe></div><div><br />
</div><div class="utility_box float-left pie-clearfix" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-741418735561903582012-03-07T22:45:00.062-06:002012-03-12T13:27:40.287-05:00Staring Off Into Space<span id="internal-source-marker_0.4622536695096642"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my son’s 18 month health check-up I was asked to complete a developmental milestone screening. This questionnaire is designed to gauge a child's language, physical, and emotional ability. I do believe that early detection is critical and necessary in order to help children who may be struggling with a disabling challenge. However, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do question whether our society has become too generous in gifting children with differing abilities and traits with a label of “abnormal”? In the search for the normative, do we overlook an opportunity to celebrate creative, intelligent, independent-thinking children?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider what is being asked in the questionnaire:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Developmental milestone screening questionnaire: “Does your child point when he/she wants to communicate something?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Concerned mom: “Yes.” It's truly amazing how much can be communicated through use of the index finger. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Questionnaire: “Does your child like to be hugged, kissed, bounced?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Concerned mom: “Yes, yes, yes.” Matter of fact, he's stuck to me and thinks he has a “ride all day pass” which gives him unlimited access to the mom slide, mom pony ride, and mom swings. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Questionnaire: “Does he stare off into space with no purpose?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Concerned mom: “Yes.” Pause. Wait they want me to say, "No." How should I proceed, I ponder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I left the answer to the last question a “Yes,” because my children (18 month and 4 year old boys) do stare off into space without purpose. They do this because it’s what they have learned from their parents; I am not concerned that this could indicate a problematic learning or behavioral trait. Rather, I celebrate the fact that my husband and I have made a cognizant decision to teach our children how to sit and stare off into the vast nothingness which is actually teaching them how to access the portal into their great minds and souls.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;">'</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tis a fast-paced, perpetually plugged-in society in which we belong. Have we forgotten how to disengage from the material world and engage the the beautiful spiritual and cerebral world within ourselves? Do we value “stillness?” I’m not suggesting the skill of teaching your children to sit still and behave while in class or at a religious ceremony. I’m asking if we parents consider the importance of teaching our children to sit and be still absent a play-time, learning-time, entertainment-time agenda. </span></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4622536695096642"> <span style="vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4622536695096642"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></span></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4622536695096642"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4622536695096642"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wonder what I'm up against as my eldest begins his elementary school career. Will he be labeled as “troubled” or “abnormal” because we have taught him how to quiet the external chatter and value stillness? During his most recent progress review, my son’s pre-school teacher stated, “He sometimes gets lost in his thoughts and you will need to teach him to focus.” To which I replied, “Is he falling behind on his learning?” The teacher reassured me that he is above expectations on all of the educational and developmental measures for his age group. He’s not falling behind on the lessons being taught, nor is he disrupting class, but his “deep thought” moments are a teacher's concern- I find this trend of repressing individual introspection to be of great societal concern.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;">During my </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">foray into online and neighborhood parent discussions, I have witnessed young children spending a large amount of time in school, music, sports, language, and arts classes. All of this mini-van boogie is done in the name of creating smarter, more sophisticated children. It's no wonder that some children struggle with adaptability and are pained by multiple noise and light changes they are confronted with while being shuffled to-and-fro as part of the fast-paced soccer field, play-group and music class circuit. Are we trying too hard to create perfect beings- so much so that we have forgotten the fragility of children’s brains which need time to be still, to absorb and develop?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having the courage to withdraw from the race and the confidence that the creation of more quiet at-home opportunities is really what the children need </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">is tough, but worthy of consideration.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Do we want our children to become diligent students, or do we want our children to harness critical thinking skills and then go on to become the world's future visionaries, leaders, innovators, and artists?</span></span></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-63926961226671081902012-02-15T19:55:00.001-06:002012-02-15T19:56:43.787-06:00Tao of Pizza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0lZidDI6cRUavtRyp8kN3otEgv1kQCc0ylkAoS-yxy9ul7wSEeIybf_kDD2iD1ptmWiqxQCmyrrUH_yVlsnLSYWbXhWsLpQIzQaO4k89LWK8yLHFNz_rq-JwBavJPtcx-EoSygfo2_k/s1600/Tao+Pizza1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0lZidDI6cRUavtRyp8kN3otEgv1kQCc0ylkAoS-yxy9ul7wSEeIybf_kDD2iD1ptmWiqxQCmyrrUH_yVlsnLSYWbXhWsLpQIzQaO4k89LWK8yLHFNz_rq-JwBavJPtcx-EoSygfo2_k/s200/Tao+Pizza1.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br />
<span style="line-height: normal;">My natural inclination was to rest on Fridays and order pizza. As mentioned in my latest piece, <a href="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/2012/01/11/when-your-body-says-enough-is-enough-but-you-still-crave-pizza">Too Clean? Dealing With Our New Dietary Diseases</a>, due to a chronic disease that has occupied my body, I usually fall ill every time I consume pizza brought to my door. The Friday night menu has been re-worked and become homemade pizza night. Despite a tiring long week, it’s become a family tradition that each of us now looks forward to. Making homemade pizza takes time, but we have discovered that this “<a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/">slow food</a>” meal beholds a lot of virtuous gems for myself and the whole family alike. </span><br />
<div><br />
Here is some encouragement to create your very own pizza night:<br />
<br />
<b>The meal should stay with you longer than 20 bites</b><br />
<br />
Ever feel so disappointed how quickly a highly-anticipated meal can be over? When food takes longer to plan for and prepare, one feels more accomplished and the overall process is more satisfying. Considering the fact that dough is something that needs to be planned at least 18-24 hours in advance, I would definitely qualify pizza as a “slow food” which is more about quality time with loved ones than filling the belly. While the yeast fungi are working their magic, one has plenty of time to dream up of which fun ingredients to bring to the party.<br />
<br />
<b>Pizza night can play up the artistic and creative side </b><br />
<br />
Never before had I imagined that I would have an orange duck mushroom pizza refashioned from the previous night’s dinner. “Daikon radish as a pizza topping!?” My former self would question my present self. Even more fun is involving the whole family and seeing what the kids want to try or which unique combos the family arrives at based on household preferences and ingredients found in the fridge. Because of my pre-schooler’s love for all things pickled, I now often enjoy capers as a pizza topping.</div><div></div><div><span class="inline inline-left"><img class="image image " height="170" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/img_1420.jpg" width="399" /></span><br />
<br />
<b>It’s your opportunity to reinvent the pizza</b><br />
<br />
Seize the opportunity. You aren’t limited to the same 20 fairly standardized ingredients found on most pizzeria's menus. We don’t buy any ingredients for pizza night; we work with what’s already in the leftover boxes and the cheese and vegetable drawers. I gave up pork ten years ago and out the door went sausage pizza as well. When my husband declared that he wanted to make me a sausage pizza, I was skeptical as I did not want to get my hopes up too high thinking I might get a chance to capture a taste so fondly missed. The husband minced some garlic bison summer sausage from <a href="http://shop.specialtycheese.com/">Eichtens,</a> sauteed some garlic, peppers, and onions provided by <a href="http://www.harmonyvalleyfarm.com/">Harmony Valley Farm </a>and then topped the pizza with rich Gruyere and Emmental cheeses--I fell in love with pizza all over again. Because the ingredients were taken from our own fridge, we knew that the quality and taste of the ingredients would stand up to our wildest pizza creations.<br />
<br />
<b>Sneak in a lesson or two for your children (or even the amateur cooks in your life) </b><br />
<br />
Hands on learning is hands-down way cooler than words in a book (or on a screen). From weighing the dough to using measuring cups and spoons, there are a lot of mathematical concepts to be learned. The transformation of dry and wet ingredients into a dough and then ultimately a delicious pizza, provides countless lessons on project development, time management (think patience), and basic chemistry. Let the kids decide on the ingredients and you bolster their self confidence and inspire creativity.</div><span style="white-space: pre;"> <span class="inline inline-left"></span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Encourage fine motor skills and the value of perseverance by getting their hands into the dough for some rolling and tossing. I have learned to “let go” and enjoy the opportunity to watch my children become the master chef. The dough may be look like abstract art and have a few holes in it and the pile of cheese may topple over, but this is their moment to learn from and to savor. Like us, children feel supremely satisfied when they hold in their hands something created from the most simple, basic ingredients. Of course there will be a fine mess of sticky fingers and flour all over the floor, but the time spent together will become memories that last a lifetime (and the pizza always tastes good, no matter what it looks like).<br />
<br />
In the end, I know I will undoubtedly cherish the moments spent together creating the family masterpieces much more so than the moments consuming the fast-food version. I have learned that I can have my pizza and eat it too!Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-13193335307321698562012-02-15T19:39:00.002-06:002012-02-15T19:51:23.276-06:00Too Clean? Dealing with our New Dietary Diseases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gkmwrrz5pVUSaCJruhTfWdZ9nc9pkgUM0cZlQ9BsvpiSJqx9R4SQoFoFKrOi534fy-9B22LeHYhzgQSZRXXtHw6a07fk-liwQthurGj4SU6l5uxxym4VXJ-LwtiAm3lkZfPKsWp0Kkc/s1600/Fruit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gkmwrrz5pVUSaCJruhTfWdZ9nc9pkgUM0cZlQ9BsvpiSJqx9R4SQoFoFKrOi534fy-9B22LeHYhzgQSZRXXtHw6a07fk-liwQthurGj4SU6l5uxxym4VXJ-LwtiAm3lkZfPKsWp0Kkc/s320/Fruit.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Over the last few years, my family’s pantry has transformed from looking like the cereal and dinner-in-a-box aisle to looking more like the lentils, grains and nuts in-a-bin aisle. While we have scraped the high-fructose syrup residue from our tongue and weaned ourselves from most highly processed foods, we admit to an occasional craving for comfort foods from our past. Pizza is on the top of the, “I know I really shouldn’t have it, but I really want it!” cravings list.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lately, ordering out always falls short in delivering the food craving desired. First, we don’t eat pork, so we are always in search for a decent specialty meat to top the pizza, which often has a sub-par taste and texture. We opt for the “real cheese” versus the cheese-like substance plus add on two or three vegetables to that pie and you’re ringing up at $25-30. More problematic than settling for mediocre toppings and doling out extra cash for a craving, is the price our bodies pay. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I suffer from </span><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ulcerative-colitis/DS00598"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">ulcerative colitis</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (UC), which is an autoimmune and inflammatory bowel disease which can cause debilitating intestinal cramping and bleeding. UC is a relatively “new” disease and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulcerative_colitis"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">not much is known </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">of it’s origins nor the cause of the painful flare-ups. A majority of autoimmune diseases and allergic reactions--such as Crohn’s, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and eczema--are most commonly diagnosed from within the US and other developed nations. So how did we get so lucky to inherit this bevy of diseases? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The </span><a href="http://www.hygienehypothesis.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Hygiene Hypothesis </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">suspects that a lack of early childhood exposure to infectious agents (i.e., gut flora or probiotics) increases one’s susceptibility to allergic reactions and auto-suppression issues/diseases. In short,it is suspected that UC and others are born from diets characteristic of being protein and nutrition deficient and abundant with man-made foods created in large manufacturing plants (I, like many other 80’s kids of divorced parents, can attest that my diet was largely influenced by General Mills and Kraft).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Preliminary research suggests that our bodies have become “too clean” from lack of exposure to infections and infectious agents such as bacteria and flora found naturally in foods within their most holistic and natural states. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis#cite_note-pmid17326711-18"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Studies supporting</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> the theory state that a diet devoid of greens, fungus, aged-cheeses, lentils, and whole grains and rich with refined sugars and uber-sterilized (think white bread, mac and cheese from the box, and ultra-pasteurized milk) creates an unnatural environment within the intestines. The intestines are then “dis-armed” and the immune system malfunctions and attacks some part of the body.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have suffered with UC for a little over two years and and have pledged that I will not idly accept a lifetime of steroids as my sole solution. Based on research and common sense, I have decided to “re-train” my body and alter my diet; this course contradicts my doctor’s belief that diet won’t alter the course of my UC flare-ups. Whether there is a direct correlation between my diet and the fact that I have been in near 100% remission from UC the last six months is still disputable. What is certain is that I am eating and feeling better than ever. My diet from the last 30+ years consisted mostly of some variation of corn embedded in many processed foods, refined sugars, meat, and cheese-like substances. Now, I am eating more “whole foods”, I have lost weight, strengthened my immune system and feel healthier now than ever before in my life. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The most major changes I made and am now attributing to my healthy gut are: </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eliminating “fast food” whether drive through restaurants or meals from a box;</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eating a minimum of five daily servings of fruit and vegetables;</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eliminating white bread and eating whole-grain bread only on occasion;</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cutting down consumption of pasta to once a week and rice no more than four times a week; </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eating vegetarian and eating fish each at least once a week; and</span><span class="inline inline-left"></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">drinking whole, non-homogenized milk from </span><a href="http://www.cedarsummit.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Cedar Summit</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or </span><a href="http://www.autumnwoodfarmllc.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Autumnwood</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> farms.</span><span class="inline inline-left"></span></li>
</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span class="inline inline-left"><img class="image image-preview " src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/milk_1.preview.jpg" style="height: 197px; width: 140px;" /><br />
<br />
</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite vows recited, the urge to kick back and enjoy a hot, greasy, cheesy pizza continues to taunt me and the family as a whole. Each time we caved and ordered, we were left disappointed with mediocre quality of ingredients and I without fail, would end up sick from the ordeal. Forced to adapt, we began experimentation with homemade pizzas. What resulted was a yummy, affordable, and fun family tradition involving the whole family and a healthy gut for me. Along the way we collected some gemstone lessons.</span>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-75673210164976956942012-02-08T15:22:00.003-06:002012-02-08T15:28:12.175-06:00A Letter to My Husband<div style="background-color: transparent;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6699334208387882" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through your journey</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have so graciously benefited</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perspective anew</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What appears your gift is actually mine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I’ve learned</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I celebrate today alongside you</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One does not earn or inherit the right to deem themselves “American”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's not an armor class</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nor is it a birthright</span></b></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Tis not culture, either</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“American” is a choice in favor of one</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And denunciation of others</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A privilege that shall not be taken in vain, forsaken, or ignored</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To be “American” is to chose one doctrine promising “liberty and justice for all”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than a name, it’s a way of living </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which bears responsibility and active citizenry</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s belief in a democracy with infinite possibilities</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And a pledge to follow a call of duty and aspire to do “what you can do for YOUR country”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much obliged am I</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For your wayfaring in turn renews my love for a country we both now call “home”.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Proud of you my love,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leigh Ann</span></b></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-30282111789337626852012-01-12T13:19:00.001-06:002012-01-12T13:20:13.956-06:00When Life Gives You Chestnuts... Make Soup<div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-image" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-blog_img_large imagecache-default imagecache-blog_img_large_default" height="298" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_img_large/images/blog/chestnuts_2.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 600px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" title="" width="400" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-type-text field-field-body" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">My other half visited the <a href="http://www.rivermarket.coop/" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">River Market Co-op of Stillwater</span></a> and brought home yummy delights, both familiar and some not so. The foreigner to our kitchen were chestnuts, from Iowa. He was excited, and I curious. “‘Tis the season to have a chestnut," he declared.</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Cold air creeping in through the cracks raged it’s battle with the warm air wafting from the fireplace. Dinner was consumed, the kids were in bed, and all was quiet except for the rockin’ tunes played by none other than <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/the_current/" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">89.3 The Current</span></a>. Nat King Cole’s version of “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”’ cycled through our heads. Admittedly, our fireplace is the fool-proof version that turns fire on and off with a simple flip-of-the-wrist switch. So, roasting chestnuts on an “open fire” would not be an option.</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">As all things are done these days, we googled “chestnut roasting methods” and proceeded with our plan to celebrate the season with our first-ever chestnut experience. Per instructions, we scored an x into each of the chestnuts and placed them in the oven set to 425 degrees for a total of 25 minutes. </div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">The timer went off and we paused the movie, excited to have a taste. We cracked open each of the shells, pulling out the chestnut meat which I insisted on calling “squirrel brains”, because they look like little brains, don’t they? Heavy with anticipation, I was first to take a bite. It was an anti-climatic, “oh it’s nice” moment. The chestnut’s texture and sweetness was not exactly what we were expecting. So into a container they went and movie night resumed sans the famed nuts. </div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Determined to make good of our new friend, I consulted various recipes and took stock of the fridge and pantry. In the end, I decided to make a chestnut and mushroom soup. The soup was a delicious recovery from the earlier chestnut experience. The aromatic and savory soup consisted of chestnuts, root vegetables, porcini and crimini mushrooms and was topped with cream and crisp onion straws.</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>Chestnut and Mushroom Soup</strong> <span class="inline inline-right" style="display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><img class="image image-_original " height="298" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/chestnut_soup_2.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 665px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="400" /></span></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em>Inspired by the Food Network’s Creamy Chestnut Soup with Porcini Mushrooms</em></div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 oz. Porcini Mushrooms</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">2 ½ cups Hot Water</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">2 Large Shallots, Sliced</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Small Parsnip (or other root vegetable), Diced</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Medium Carrot, Diced</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Celery Stalk, Diced</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">8 Large Crimini Mushrooms, Sliced</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Small Parsnip (or other root vegetable), Diced</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">2 ½ Tablespoons Butter</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">2 Bay Leafs and 1 Sprig of Thyme</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">3 ½ Cups Chicken (or vegetable) Stock</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Lb. Roasted Pecans, Coarsely Chopped</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">2 Tablespoons Sherry</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Salt and Pepper to Taste</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Small Yellow Onion, Sliced </div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">3 Tablespoons Oil</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">2 Tablespoons Sour Cream</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"> <span class="inline inline-right" style="display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px;"><img class="image image-_original " height="298" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/chestnut_saute_2.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 665px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="400" /></span></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-Place dried porcini mushrooms into a bowl and add pour the 2 ½ cups of coiling water over. Let stand for 20 minutes. (If you are lucky enough to have fresh porcini mushrooms, skip this step and add them with the crimini mushrooms below)</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-In a saucepan, melt butter and saute shallots, parsnips (any root vegetable you have will do), carrots, celery, and crimini mushrooms. Saute until tender. Add bay leaves, sprig of thyme and chicken stock. Add porcini mushrooms and their stock (hot water added to the mushrooms). </div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-Using a food processor, mince the chestnuts and add to the above ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste (the chestnuts and root vegetables are sweet, so I like a lot of salt and pepper).</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-Working in batches, puree soup in the food processor or use a blender. Put soup back into saucepan and add sherry. Taste and correct salt and pepper.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><b>Topping</b></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-In small fryer, heat up oil to very hot temperature. Add yellow onions and fry until just browned. Turn off heat and let onions continue cooking in the hot oil (until they are crisp and light brown in color).</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">-Place heavy cream and sour cream in a medium bowl. Using a mixer, beat the heavy and sour creams. If consistency is not firm enough, chill in freezer for 20 minutes and beat, again.</div><div><br />
</div></div></div></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-50401825675040934292011-12-15T22:19:00.002-06:002012-01-12T13:44:11.278-06:00Light Rays ~ Surviving Life after the Loss of a Sibling<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">I “lost” my brother nearly three years ago. He was part of my core, my bedrock since the day I was born until I was 34. It’s hard to put to words or to quantify the value of sibling relationships. Because they are generally a peer within ten years or so of your own age, one never expects to lose a sibling at a young age or before you lose your elders such as parents or grandparents.</span></div><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A sibling grows and develops with essentially the same world view as you, therefore the relationship is unique and special. Siblings are built with unbreakable bonds of shared parents and child-hood experiences. The household culture including family philosophy, humor, secrets and other traditions such as religion and food are sacred to one's definition of self. "Blood is thicker than water" as are the genetic sequences inherited from parents which all siblings equally share.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAO6hdCHU7twEVSz3_ZV_8uaw_v8wyruwscpUhR6hAY3_IVnk65pN_ZlhVKCJgsvyJa9NrQIW8kk47ZXZ45qTtJbcl6nngspexNuR2WmjgdMZB_oZsDxn4U5tzhor4iXJYZEbigN6bKJo/s1600/Portlers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAO6hdCHU7twEVSz3_ZV_8uaw_v8wyruwscpUhR6hAY3_IVnk65pN_ZlhVKCJgsvyJa9NrQIW8kk47ZXZ45qTtJbcl6nngspexNuR2WmjgdMZB_oZsDxn4U5tzhor4iXJYZEbigN6bKJo/s200/Portlers.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are countless ways in which a sibling loss is devastating for the surviving sibling(s). For me, the hardest part of my initial stages of grief were seemingly selfish. I kept wondering, “how am I supposed to go on without Ray?”. I felt a pendulum swing of emotions from sadness for my mother an intense longing to hear his voice (I still wish for this each and every day, as a matter of fact), anger with God for taking him all too early, doubt that God even existed and on rare occasions, relief that perhaps he is in a better place after all. I felt tremendous guilt for living far away and for not being able to reach him by phone the day before he died (due to poor cellular reception from where I was). One of the harshest burdens I endured was about re-defining myself and learning how to walk again without Ray.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My brother was always a part of the psyche of me. He had been since the day I was born, the day our dad died and he was supposed to be with along with me in this journey of life for 80 years or so. At some points in our life we were much closer than others, but our love, trust and respect for one another was never questioned. Sibling relationships do require maintenance work, as do all relationships, but they are rarely ever at risk of disintegration.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A part of me died when Ray passed onward. I woke up in terror many nights reaching out to hug him and to hear his voice. I was also terrified of time passing and growing older. How was I to continue my life’s journey without Ray? Even more terrifying, who will I be or how will I define myself when my Mom inevitably passes? Absent other siblings, absent a sister-in-law and absent nephews and nieces, I felt devastatingly alone. I frantically reached out to other family and my husband’s family in search for a new “tribe”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This can sound selfish when everyone around is saying, “what about the surviving parent?”. Yes, my Mom’s loss is devastating and tragic beyond words and that subject is a whole other book that I could write. But, a parent loss should not be measured as greater than a sibling loss and should not diminish the surviving sibling(s) feelings. Often times surviving siblings stay quiet as they don’t want to be seen as selfish during the initial stages of grief. I write this with the intention of helping others heal, as it’s my responsibility now that I am finally on the mend to healing. I will never stop loving or missing Ray, but I will find a way to see my blessings and to go on living life filled with my mom, husband, children, family, and friends’ love; it’s what Ray would have wanted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you are a surviving sibling, please share your feelings with someone. If you know a someone who recently lost a sibling, don’t just ask about the deceased person’s surviving parents, wife and/or children, ask the sibling how they are doing.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6czwIV4kxWQVZm24mKWxUXLregsnCFabculzY37fQrR4BH3TAEmUwgDFPZbFE7dpiAnXXYhzr49l27LUfXrXvu6aS49uuNNJBLyTQl1VVa_8ikEmRi0WVzhMN1pn80lk9vjX-uBUWUQg/s1600/Heavan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6czwIV4kxWQVZm24mKWxUXLregsnCFabculzY37fQrR4BH3TAEmUwgDFPZbFE7dpiAnXXYhzr49l27LUfXrXvu6aS49uuNNJBLyTQl1VVa_8ikEmRi0WVzhMN1pn80lk9vjX-uBUWUQg/s1600/Heavan.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Light Rays </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I entered this world 892 days after you</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You embraced me with such pure joy and love</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My big brother, my only sibling, my trusted confidant</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is no other </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not very big on words, you were my sounding board, my interpreter</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My other half</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We spent hour upon hour playing, fighting, laughing and exploring</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With you, my world was complete</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Permanently intertwined by shared experiences</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You became me, and I, you</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tragedy and heartbreak befell us an early age</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The bond we shared strengthened evermore</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though I transformed from my child ways</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You always knew me at my core</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though I traveled great distances and challenged traditions of our past</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your voice was always the center of gravity</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You always honored my choices and trusted my intention</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Words spoken when you walked me down the aisle and when my first child was born, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I will never forget</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Forever proud to have you as my big brother</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I could not wait for you to move past the speed bumps </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I anticipated the day you and I would share our family stories with spouses</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I dreamt about our children as cousins, building snow igloos and going on camping adventures</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This will never be</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> How is it that I’m left in a world without you?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Time stopped the day I got the call</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t bother counting anymore</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What difference does it make</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How many more days must I bear until I become whole, again?</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-6998023498029624412011-12-04T12:23:00.001-06:002011-12-04T12:24:13.266-06:00Lessons from the Apple Grower: A Visit to Whistling Well Farm<div id="content-wrapper"><div id="content"><div class="clear-block"><div id="content-top"></div><div class="node node node-type-blog" id="node-8267"><span class="submitted"> </span> <br />
<div class="content clear-block"><div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-image"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-blog_img_large imagecache-default imagecache-blog_img_large_default" height="306" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_img_large/images/blog/img_0962_2.jpg" title="" width="320" /> </div></div></div><div class="field field-type-text field-field-body"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><div class="p1">The departure of summer is much easier to cope with when you have the knowledge that fall brings beautiful gifts of crisp air, celestial blue skies and apples. Ah apple, you are the perfect fruit. On the inside, you are a lover’s tango of both tart and sweet tenderness nicely protected by a crunchy thick skin on the out. We Minnesotans are lucky to have such a plethora of locally-sourced apples to choose from. Even better, the growers love selling apples so much that many share their orchard yards with us, thus creating an ultimate feel good opportunity for folks to be in touch with the fruits of our land.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">Founded in 1972 and located in Denmark Township (Hastings), Whistling Well Farm is operated by Charlie Johnson and his two sons. Pull into the driveway and you will see Mr. Johnson’s house and will be greeted by Emmy the springer spaniel and a number of barn cats. You won’t find long lines for tickets, nor will you have to pay money to feed the turkeys and chickens. You won’t see, nor smell, diesel tractors to pick you up to take you to the apple trees, but rather hay filled radio-flyer wagons beg of you to take your children for an old-fashioned walk.</div><div class="p2"> <span class="inline inline-center"><img class="image image-_original " height="300" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/img_0965.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div class="p1">Curious about growing and storing apples and what it means to become a farmer, I sat down at Mr. Johnson’s kitchen table to ask a few questions and walked away with a few lessons worth sharing.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1"><b>Lesson 1: Remember What Makes You Feel Good And Chase That Feeling</b></div><div class="p1">Newlyweds Carol and Charlie Johnson spent two years (1965-67) in the Dominican Republic teaching an the International School as part of a reconstruction project following the revolution. US companies were contracted to help teach the locals how to to conduct sustainable farming practices. The Johnsons’ were moved by the high levels of happiness the locals displayed when they were farming and working the land and vowed to their students that they too would someday own land. In 1972, they fulfilled their promise and dream by purchasing 65 acres of land that became Whistling Well Farm.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1"><b>Lesson 2: We Do Not Live In Isolation; We are All Interdependent</b></div><div class="p1">An action miles away impacts what happens in our back yard. For example, Whistling Well Farm was so named because of the mysterious whistling sound emitted by the well. Research and determination traced the sound a few miles back to bluffs on the St.Croix River. When the wind blows eastward, it flows through the bedrock of the bluffs and pushes onward and upward through the farm’s well creating the whistling sound. Mr. Johnson’s latest project, a book titled, <i>Emmy and the Mysterious Whistle - An Apple Farm Adventure, </i>is due out in August 2012 and follows the orchard dog around as he tries to uncover the mysterious whistling sound heard on the farm.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">Furthermore, Mr. Johnson continuously referred to all the other silent partners of his orchard business which are essential in order for local economies to thrive. For example, one cannot mention apples without giving proper accolades to the <a href="http://www.apples.umn.edu/"><span class="s1">University of Minnesota</span></a>. The University has helped move Minnesota from a non-apple producing state to number 16 in apple production in the nation. The University is committed to finding more apple varieties that thrive in our cold-weather climates and provides extensive development and marketing support to all the orchard owners with the goal of bolstering our apple economy. It takes a community to to ensure that food remains tasty, safe and localized.</div><div class="p2"> <span class="inline inline-center"><img class="image image-_original " height="300" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/img_0974.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div class="p1"><b>Lesson 3: With Proper Storage, Apples Can Transition Into the Winter</b></div><div class="p1">Late harvest apples such as the Honeycrisp, Harrelson and Snow Sweet can survive in cold storage as late as March. The ideal storeroom or cooler should be set at 36 degrees and have a high level of humidity. An arid climate will cause the apple to lose moisture and shrivel. If using a refrigerator to store apples, then place apples in an open plastic bag and place wet paper towels in the bag and re-wet the paper towels every few days. If keeping the apples in a storage room, then store in a wooden crate packed with hay or wrap each apple in newspaper and then adjust temperature and humidity accordingly. Remember to inspect all apples prior to storage. Remove badly bruised or cut apples. As the saying goes, “one bad apple spoils the bunch”. An open-sore apple will leak an ethylene gas which will then spoil the rest of the lot.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1"><b>Lesson 4: Never Take Anything For Granted</b></div><div class="p1">Every farmer knows they are at the mercy of mother nature. Mr. Johnson tells stories of hail or strong winds which can destroy hundreds of trees within a matter of minutes. Mid sized growers are at the mercy of the harsh elements of nature, which is quite a life-changing and humbling experience according to Mr. Johnson. We consumers need to remember to be grateful for the crops we do receive even if the apples vary in sizes or have a few bruises and scrapes, for this is the trade off for supporting our local growers.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p1">As with nature, there are other life circumstances beyond our control such as death. Having recently, lost his wife of 45 years and business partner, Mr. Johnson could not tell his story without mention of her and reminded us to never take anything for granted whether it’s your loved ones, a healthy community or access to good food.</div><div class="p2"><br />
</div><div class="p3">Whistling Well Farm is a <a href="http://foodalliance.org/"><span class="s1">Midwest Food Alliance</span></a> certified grower located at 8973 South St. Croix Trail, Hastings, MN 55033. Apples are also sold on weekends at the <a href="http://www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com/"><span class="s1">St. Paul Farmers’ Market</span></a>, the <a href="http://www.bayportfarmersmarket.com/"><span class="s1">Bayport Farmers’ Market</span></a> (Mondays) and the <a href="http://www.rivermarket.coop/"><span class="s1">River Market </span></a>in Stillwater. </div><div class="p3">The children’s book <i>Emmy and the Mysterious Whistle</i>, highlighting farm life and showcasing area geography and history will be available August, 2012.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-47449704126397485752011-10-03T16:34:00.001-05:002011-10-03T16:36:50.795-05:00Take Action- Your Food Dollars Build Just Communities<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<h2 class="title" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #5e8a40; font-family: Adamina, serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"><br />
</h2><span class="submitted" style="color: #999999; display: block; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"></span><br />
<ul class="links inline" style="display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="addthis first last" style="display: inline; list-style-type: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="submitted" style="color: #999999; display: block; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"></span></li>
<span class="submitted" style="color: #999999; display: block; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"> </span></ul><br />
<div class="content clear-block" style="display: block; line-height: 1.75em;"><div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-image" style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-blog_img_large imagecache-default imagecache-blog_img_large_default" height="504" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_img_large/images/blog/todd_churchill_2.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 600px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" title="" width="550" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-type-text field-field-body" style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">A typical pre-dinner conversation in our household might go something like this:</div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><em>Me: What do cows eat?</em></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Four year old: Grass!</em></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Me: Are you sure it’s not corn? </em></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Four year old: No! Cows eat grass!</em></div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><em>Father: Where does this meat come from?</em></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Four year old son: It was a cow</em></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Father: Where did we get it?</em></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Four year old son: The farmer grew it and then the butcher killed it</em></div><div class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Too much information for a four year old? Many recoil in horror when my husband and I brag about a recent family outing in which we took our children to experience the cycle of life from feeding the cows in the pasture on to the processing plant to witness the death of what then became food on the dinner plate. No, this wasn’t some weird child development experiment, but rather participatory action to improve the wealth and health of our collective eco-community.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">I have attended nearly one hundred community meetings and town hall discussions. I have participated in rallies and fought for issues to support fair wages, end discriminatory hiring practices, eliminate predatory lending, cease destruction of woods, blow the whistle on illegal red-lining activities and the list goes on. To this day, I avoid Nike or BP Oil products because of justice issues of exploitation of child laborers and mass deforestation I learned about in the 90’s era. Never before, had I imagined that I would be attending a town hall discussion and tour regarding the virtues of meat.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Meat, or rather food, as a social justice issue? Yes. The issue is known as <a href="http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/agnic/susag.shtml" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">“sustainable agriculture”</span></a> and it’s one that has an impact on each and every one of us regardless of geographic location, age, race or socioeconomic status. Sustainable agriculture is a comprehensive system of plant and animal production which strives to enhance farm systems, benefit the environment, support local and national economies and provide wholesome food and nutrition for all living beings. Sustainable agriculture is a part of social equity platforms because of issues of malnutrition, exploitation of food production workers and animals, large-scale modifications to create synthetic food-like products and the gross misuse of natural resources to grow and transport food.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">The fact that 45% of Americans’ food <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/sb965/sb965e.pdf" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">budget is now spent on foods not consumed in the homes</span></a> is evidence that we are becoming increasingly detached from the handling and preparation of our own foods. Other astounding food factoids that speak to the need for sustainable agriculture are easy to find; food now travels an average of 1,500 <a href="http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/ppp/food_mil.pdf" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">miles</span></a> before it reaches our plates; a vast majority of all food consumed is<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/food-for-everyone/just-the-facts-corporate-food" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;">monopolized by a few inbred cousins</a>.</span> These are just a couple of indicators that should tell us that now, more than ever, we consumers need to understand the food issues hiding underneath the plate.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="inline inline-left" style="display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><img alt="" class="image image-_original " height="264" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/atthefarm_2.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 665px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="350" /></span>I want my children to know and understand issues that impact individual freedoms as well as quality of life issues which intersect with our physical, mental and spiritual health. My duty as a parent is to teach my children so they may learn from history and then grow up to make better choices in their lives. We talk about the historic significance of slavery, discrimination, unions and consumer protection acts. And yes, the history of the food production cycle is just as fundamental as lessons on the Great Depression, civil rights movements and the venerability of the US Constitution. </div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">One beautiful Saturday afternoon, my crew and I attended a town-hall like meeting sponsored by <span class="s1"><a href="http://www.thousandhillscattleco.com/thnews.html" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;">Thousand Hills Cattle Company</a>,</span> in which founder Todd Churchill was the main presenter. Thousand Hills is based out of Cannon Falls, MN and is a cooperative-style business made up of many small independent farmers who practice grass-fed grazing and growing techniques. One might imagine that the attendees showed up just for the free lunch which included samplings of grass-fed beef hot dogs and hamburgers. After three hours together of listening to a presentation, touring the farm and then touring partner <a href="http://www.lorentzmeats.com/" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">Lorentz Meats</span></a>’ processing plant, it became apparent that folks gave their time to learn about and support the sustainable agriculture movement. This movement values supporting small and local farms, giving animals an opportunity to eat their natural diet at their natural pace, treating food production staff with honor and respect and being in touch with the chain-of-life web which is the giver of our bodies’ necessitated sustenance, food.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="inline inline-left" style="display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><img alt="" class="image image-_original " height="221" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/cattle1_2.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 665px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="350" /></span>Following the lunch and presentation about the ethical, environmental and health benefits of eating grass-fed beef, we toured of one of the Thousand Hills Cattle Company farms. Participants got up close and personal with the cows as they loudly bleated and pleaded for their turn at lunch. Todd demonstrated his complex pattern of fencing which is a carefully thought out rotation system designed to provide the space cows need to eat their food of choice: grass. Fencing is strategically moved around the field guiding the cows to mature grass fields. When that patch is sufficiently “mowed”, the section is fenced off and the cows are then moved to the adjoining grassy knoll.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Lorentz Meats, a niche meat processing plant, was the next base of the meat operation that we explored. Upon entering the plant, visitors are greeted with s sign which quotes the famous folk artist and farmer,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Berry" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">Wendell Berry</span></a>: </div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><em><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We cannot live harmlessly at our own expense; we depend on other creatures and survive by <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>their deaths. To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. The point is, <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament; when we do it <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration.</em></span></div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">This quote fittingly describes the Lorentz family's attitude and philosophy toward the service they provide. In speaking with CFO Mike Lorentz, I am immediately impressed with the company’s ability to balance both an entrepreneurial spirit and the sacredness of treating animals with the utmost respect. Their core service is the provision of specialty meat services which means supplying the demand of buyers and eaters seeking local, organic and fairly-traded meat. This part of the equation is often times left out of the sustainable agriculture dialogue, but is nevertheless a crucial part of the equation.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Founded in 1968, Lorentz started as a local hometown meat market that connected locals with animal products from area (Cannon River Valley) farmers. Forty years later, the business has grown into a thriving business including 65 staff and the addition of a new USDA inspected and certified organic facility. Even with this tremendous growth, Lorentz has stayed true to it’s mission to continue connecting local farms to the consumer.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Lorentz Meats slaughters 35-50 animals per day compared to 5,000, the average number slaughtered by most major meat processors. Take a moment to envision the process behind those slaughters and it’s easy to see how treatment of animals and the employees of the large processors may be compromised. Mike was quick to point out that his meat processors are part of the Lorentz family and are not pushed to produce mass quantities of meat, but rather are valued for their skills in the provision of quality meat. Curious? Go see for yourself. Lorentz Meats’ commitment to transparency was recognized by Michael Pollen in<em>Omnivore’s Dilemma</em> for having one of the country’s only public viewing areas in which anyone is welcome to come inside the plant and witness the slaughter and processing of the animals. Furthermore, the unique style of the Lorentz business allows farmers to cut out expensive middle men and to reduce over all transportation cost, thus truly providing a niche service.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Next time you hesitate on which meat to purchase based on the price tag, consider simply eating less meat. I was surprised to hear Mike Lorentz, who’s livelihood depends on people eating the meat his plant processes, say that people need not to complain about high cost associated with specialty meats, but to eat less meat. With the staggering numbers highlighting the fact that Americans <a href="http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf" style="color: #466f29; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1">now annually eat a an average of 195 pounds of meat per person</span></a>, up from 57 pounds per person in the 1950’s, I think we could all use a little less meat in our diet. Mike said, "Ask what are <em>you</em> doing, not what are ‘they’ doing. How have <em>you </em>been a part of the change you want to see happen?"</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Buying Thousand Hills ground beef is a vote for justice and sustainable agriculture. Your dollars support the human and ethical treatment of the cow and the land of which we we are all stewards. Your dollars support numerous local jobs which in turn fuel our local economies. Your dollars are a participatory act in favor of just causes and overall health, wealth and sustainability.</div><div class="p4" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;">Much thanks goes out to Mike Lorentz, CFO for his work and the willingness to share what he does.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="inline inline-left" style="display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><img alt="" class="image image-_original " height="128" src="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/sites/default/files/images/leighbiopic.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 665px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="115" /></span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><em><strong>Leigh Ann Ahmad</strong></em> was dragged kicking and screaming to the Cities by her husband; having been born and bred in Cleveland, Ohio, she just could not fathom how colder could be better. Now, five years and two kids later, she cannot imagine a better place to play and thrive. She’s a reformed carb-aholic, wannabe writer, social justice advocate, book- club geek, veggie grower and local foods connoisseur.</div><div class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div></div></div></div></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-34031483879426366312011-09-26T22:33:00.000-05:002011-09-26T22:33:03.680-05:00It's Not Easy Being Green: Reflections On A Summer Of Yard Work<a href="http://simplegoodandtasty.com/2011/09/23/its-not-easy-being-green-reflections-on-a-summer-of-yard-work">Simple Good and Tasty It's-Not Easy Being Green- Reflections on a Summer of yard Work</a>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-67442673640119198012011-08-16T13:13:00.000-05:002011-08-16T13:13:00.118-05:00In the Absence of Food<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.013289232039824128" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fasting is the act of purposeful abstinence from food and water during a specified period of time. People typically undergo the purification ritual as a means to cleans the spirit or the body, or both. All major religions throughout the world including Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">involve some variation of fasting into their religious code of practice</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Native American tribes also practice a fast paired with a guided meditation as part of a spiritual ritual. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is now the month of Ramadan, which is the major fast observed by 1 billion Muslims throughout the world. The fast during Ramadan is like many other religious fast, in that the intent is to guide humans through an intense course of self restraint, humility and penitence. The Muslim calendar is based on the ancient lunar calendar (rather than the Gregorian calendar which counts off 365 days beginning January 1 of each new year). Lunar calendars (based on 12 moon cycles) are variable, as there are no fixed seasons. The calendar shifts by 10-12 days each year, thus shifting the start of the month of Ramadan to a different day and month each and every year. For example, in 2010, Ramadan began on August 11th and this year it commenced on August 1st.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ramadan lasts 30 days and ends with a great celebration also known as Eid. During the month of fast, Muslims completely abstain from water and food from sunrise to dusk. One keeping a fast in the Midwest can expect a 16 hour fast lasting from approximately 4:30 am to 8:30 pm; food and water is consumed pre-dawn and and post sunset.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8PPJcvEfoIRn7v_vmB8rCBK3wSbWLgM0-IRdY2hx7DCgR04ewBiqVXu4v0mZyVBjXpBfLz-ZWLgiWKJPNXSNrxOJdV4znJPtOZbQw_BxS8iPrPgxcG4qY2XiKZJnD1Is2BuotrLmHbQ/s1600/Fasting" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8PPJcvEfoIRn7v_vmB8rCBK3wSbWLgM0-IRdY2hx7DCgR04ewBiqVXu4v0mZyVBjXpBfLz-ZWLgiWKJPNXSNrxOJdV4znJPtOZbQw_BxS8iPrPgxcG4qY2XiKZJnD1Is2BuotrLmHbQ/s200/Fasting" width="200" /></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I began fasting intermittently when my husband and I first married. The first fast I kept was during a November Ramadan and the sunset was around 5:30 pm. I distinctly remember the day as if I’m recalling a play witnessed in theater. Withdrawal from the daily food grind was quite an awakening. My senses were so amplified that I can travel back in time and recall the fall crisp air swelling in my lungs, the bright sun warming my chilled nose and the the melodic comfort that ensued while listening to beats leaping from the Indian tabla drums. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There's hidden sweetness in the stomach's emptiness.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is stuffed full of anything, no music.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the brain and belly are burning clean</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/R/RumiJelaludd/index.htm#PoemList"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jelaluddin Rumi</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, I cannot forget how desperately hungry and weak I felt; I truly doubted my ability to keep the fast until the prescribed end time. I did survive. When the day folds into night, you reach out for your first sip of water, which trickles down the throat, races through the esophagus and then splashes into the empty well of your stomach. The feeling experienced after enduring the fast is nothing short of phenomenal.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My first fasts were more for curiosity: Did I have the strength? What would the experience be like? Could I feel a much-needed spiritual revival? Would I feel closer to my new husband? The answer was a resounding “yes”.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People are always amazed to learn how strict the Muslim fast is. Having grown up Catholic, where the strictest sense of the fast was to give up meat and snacking during the four Fridays of lent, I understand their shock. In my experience, the most challenging part of Lenten meatless Fridays was having a cheese pizza rather than pepperoni. The Muslim fast might appear akin to self-flagellation in some ways- with holding water and food for a majority of the day and for 30 days in a row seems very strenuous. But, is it really such a arduous act as one would imagine?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think not.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I must be honest and say that I do experience some trepidation each year right before Ramadan is to begin. Truly, no one </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wants</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to willingly give up their life of lavish snacking and indulgence. This is the point, however. The act requires a willingness to commit to extreme self control. The 16 hour struggle is the journey and regeneration of body and purification of spirit is the trophy.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In food’s absence comes the hours of remembrance, reflection and introspection.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my retreat and strife, I carry with me torches that help me to see and to remember. I envision Fatima, the Somali woman who walked hundreds of miles in search of food and had to </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025054/Somali-famine-kills-30k-age-5-Children-left-die-parents.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">abandon her starving young child</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on the roadside, because she could no longer carry his dying, limp body. I figuratively travel through the day in Shabana’s foot steps as she moves from house to house in an affluent neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan in search of work. She needs to earn enough to purchase flour, which mixed with water will become the bread that feeds her brood of six. I stumble into a giant omnipresent fun house of mirrors, forced to analyze myself from every angle, some very unflattering. In the last hours, when my body weakens and my daily pace slows, I sit in stillness and reach out to the heavens to talk to loved ones passed. Through this journey I am humbled beyond belief and emerge with a purer heart and mind- ready to accomplish more and to be better.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of the day, you watch the skies and wait for blackness to take control. “Iftar time”, someone will shout, rousing the household toward the state of normalcy. After a prayer of thanks and a bite of date followed by a swig of water, one is enormously satisfied- another successful day marked by abstinence and a long-overdue act of atonement. </span></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-2737755802975046982011-07-24T16:30:00.024-05:002011-07-24T21:45:36.086-05:00Wiping the Mess<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8277483054060808" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mo-pin-a (n.) Italian slang for a dish cloth or napkin used at the dinner table . </span></div></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My first generation Italian mother grew up in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Circle"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Cleveland’s Little Italy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> during the World War II era. My mother often describes her childhood years as a struggle to get ahead. Each family member worked formidable jobs in order to put food on the table and to buy the items necessary in order to keep the household thriving. I’m quite sure “disposable” was not a word ever used during these times. The stories that are most pervasive and memorable are those of love born out of that shared struggle. The family came together and helped one another out in times of need. My mom recounts a story about how she didn’t have her own bed and bedroom until she was 18 years old because her aunt and uncle and three kids lived in her parents’ dining room. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-42OtllRKLRoVK8NkNwmPl1lGKbIWR-YhXqPT4LfpOQ1twftoDAALotaMXSVVSte5yDk1GaCdDF3a6zBW1q0zrh74thUHVeofbZtD6gKUKgWJ8_BmkyBTbjJ0bAUSDb0T5Rmfp-7e8M/s1600/Napkins_Standard-actual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-42OtllRKLRoVK8NkNwmPl1lGKbIWR-YhXqPT4LfpOQ1twftoDAALotaMXSVVSte5yDk1GaCdDF3a6zBW1q0zrh74thUHVeofbZtD6gKUKgWJ8_BmkyBTbjJ0bAUSDb0T5Rmfp-7e8M/s200/Napkins_Standard-actual.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Family meals in this Italian American household were very jovial- a time to take a break from hard work and to enjoy life. Sweaty uncles in their undershirts reached across the table for a second helping of pasta-fagioli or to break off a piece crusty bread while children slurped spaghetti from their plates. When the sauce spilled over or the oil dribbled down the corners of one’s mouth, someone would shout, “pass the mopina!”. The mopina was a communal dish towel set on table used by all greasy hands young and old. My mother smiles when she recalls those times with the family dinner. Though the children of immigrants pull themselves up so that they may set their own proper table complete with fine china and cloth, something is indeed lost from the days of the chaotic family meals. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">Suppertime in my child-hood household was a different type of setting. My brother and I were instructed to set each plate with a paper napkin along with the fork and knife. My uncle was in the paper industry, so we often joked about the fact that our high napkin usage usage must indeed be supporting paper businesses similar to Uncle’s. I’m sure we were living the “high-life” of the eighties when paper was cheap and “disposable” was fashionable. We hardly considered the implications of the evolution of the dinner table from spend-thrifty post-war Americana to the synthetic, individualistic and impulsive ways of the 1980’s.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">During the early days of our marriage, my immigrant husband and I had a few differences in our approach to life. My husband did not grow up in the same expendable age as I did, so he was often shocked about my “just use it and throw it” approach to life. In his third-world home, for example, paper napkins were a rare commodity reserved for special occasions, because one-time use goods were very frivolous and exorbitant. In contrast, in my home, cloth were reserved for special occasions like Christmas dinner. Accessing disposable goods such as napkins, paper towels and tissues in a third-world country was hard to access and could be quite costly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">Once man and wife, the discord of our divergent backgrounds came to play at our table. Unable to shake his frugal up-bringing, my husband would hardly ever use a napkin and would prefer instead to wait until the end of his meal and go wash his hands. No matter how cheap paper napkins were, he just could not get himself to embrace upon the “use and toss” mentality. I, on the other hand, felt naked and dirty in the absence of my paper companion. Unable to sit through a meal without incessantly wiping my hands and mouth, I plopped the plastic napkin holder complete with flimsy paper napkins onto the center of the table for a “use as needed” solution to our problem.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As time passed, my husband and I began creating our new blended culture comprised of our own unique values and traditions. Personal responsibility and the Native American philosophy of “leave the earth a better place than you found it” became one of our core values. First, recycling became a competition with the game of, “which is the bigger load- trash or recycle?” Though recycling was the clear victor, we began to see ways in which we could reduce our waste; thus, a game of input versus output. We began assessing our overall consumption and deciding on ways to reduce our </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">per family waste</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_recycling">One third of America’s landfills are comprised of paper and paper products.</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Our in home garbage assessment revealed that the majority of our remaining trash consisted of a lot of paper napkins and towels, many of which could not be recycled. Clearly, we could not continue such unnecessary waste, thus paper napkins were substituted for cloth. Many studies do suggest that if each family member uses their own cloth for each meal and then the cloths are submitted to the laundry on a daily basis, the savings to the earth don’t materialize due to the high emissions related to daily washing and drying of linens. Reducing the number of napkins per family member and increasing the number of napkin uses per week, however, does make a marked difference. According to research conducted by </span><a href="http://www.treehugger.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">www.treehugger.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><br />
<blockquote><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">over the course of a year you might wash your napkins 50 times and during the same time you might go through 350 (50 x 7) paper napkins. This scenario is much more favorable towards the reusable napkins, with 5 grams of greenhouse gas emissions for the cotton versus 10 grams for the single-use paper napkins.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div></blockquote><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These facts coupled with our desire to create a sustained and responsible family tradition resulted in our final move: capitalizing on an old world way by adopting the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">mopina</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">My husband and I have reclaimed the dinner table by borrowing foods and customs from our collective heritage and by creating new socially responsible traditions and memories for our children. The switch to cloth is representative of our love for food, family, idealism and respect to mother earth. Dinnertime is a huge event and is the highlight of our busy days. We ruled out the television during dinner and brought on good old fashioned conversation with shouts from the little ones to, “pass the mopina!”.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-88443629982726172011-07-12T21:38:00.007-05:002011-07-24T21:52:11.121-05:00A Mid July’s Harvest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b8iDWPiBTFYrf84iKGvXIJL9R1aYhOUsVye5W14b2GUZ8mdgqcCiZI9bQvabSnyiXCahaELtt_WTu9rEk4J8yYBfP0BEYEqktcfp9bQkD3WqdTNv4wYCjwyIS_XM_wf2GvgtIEA1bxc/s1600/carrots" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b8iDWPiBTFYrf84iKGvXIJL9R1aYhOUsVye5W14b2GUZ8mdgqcCiZI9bQvabSnyiXCahaELtt_WTu9rEk4J8yYBfP0BEYEqktcfp9bQkD3WqdTNv4wYCjwyIS_XM_wf2GvgtIEA1bxc/s200/carrots" width="200" /></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonight’s dinner was tilapia with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">creme a la vodka and dill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> paired with a side of sauteed baby squash and Mokum carrots.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The carrots as of late have been very mediocre. Yes, carrots indeed have grown quite large and become cheap, but the taste could be best described as dry and chalky. When did chewing carrots become such a chore I often asked myself. I recall a time in my child hood when I thoroughly enjoyed carrots and I could not figure out why I now disliked them so much. After reading about the carrots provided in the mid-June community shares agriculture (CSA) box, I learned a fact or two about carrots. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFiECRuWdKXWqvXwbPPUSImKz6Hxn9SSbAC6W6FkhBFz1stqup3iVxUxNISPlgVW4Kcm4Ppn5n5bs_e4EgC-0v6CKIvzRXBAC6t6T5wi-HzhUrF_7cxIKC6gg0P94VX4hCSvXmKrSOcc/s1600/baby+squash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFiECRuWdKXWqvXwbPPUSImKz6Hxn9SSbAC6W6FkhBFz1stqup3iVxUxNISPlgVW4Kcm4Ppn5n5bs_e4EgC-0v6CKIvzRXBAC6t6T5wi-HzhUrF_7cxIKC6gg0P94VX4hCSvXmKrSOcc/s200/baby+squash.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A majority of carrots harvested in the US are a type called Imperator. These impostor- sorry I mean Imperator, are a very large and hardy variety well liked by big agri- business as they withstand a a rough and tough mechanical harvest. These bulky carrots are paler in both color and taste. The carrot introduced to me tonight was of the Mokum varitey, which is smaller with a more pliable body and a large green top. The carrot was a beautiful orange color and had a deliciously sweet and savory flavor. The added bonus is that the green tops are very nutritious and an excellent diuretic. I plan treat my gut to a good cleanse by steeping the greens in a tea along with some honey and ginger. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The dill in the vodka cream sauce was freshly pinched from the garden and was superb both in taste and aroma. The baby squash was almost too darned cute to eat, but alas, to the chopping board they went. The squash were sprinkled with coriander, cumin, kosher salt and red pepper flakes and sauteed in less than three minutes in order to maximize vitamin and nutrient value. </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-54241697405187462062011-07-05T22:22:00.002-05:002011-07-06T13:36:55.483-05:00Is the Nation in Need of Public Broadcasting?<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" id="internal-source-marker_0.7250600947703819"></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Question: </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Should the Federal Government Continue to Support NPR and the CPB</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In recent years, National Public Radio (NPR) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CPB</span>) have come under attack by mostly conservative members of Congress. The issue at hand is that the federal government should no longer support the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">CPB</span>; it is time for the bird (Big Bird) to leave the nest. I understand and respect this argument especially, during an era when government spending is at an all time high and the cost of the national debt is hitting us all in the pockets. However, I am opposed to the proposal of cutting federal support of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CPB </span>as I have come to view public broadcasting as a critical cultural institution that enriches our lives. Continuing the practice of designating government dollars toward public media, forces the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CPB</span> and NPR programming to remain politically unbiased, reporting on issues that are representative of all US citizens. Furthermore, provision of the federal support dollars, allows NPR to continue to function as a non-profit and thus prevents the entity from being influenced by major corporate advertising interests. In my opinion, undue political influence and corporate control has virtually murdered ethics and journalism standards. While more and more people have grown to</span><a href="http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1341/press-accuracy-rating-hits-two-decade-low"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">distrust the media’s ability to remain fair and neutral and in presenting accurate news</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, the need for a national broadcast system is more apparent than ever. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The History</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NPR is a publicly and privately sponsored non-profit founded in 1967. NPR provides syndicated shows, training and resources to over 90 charter or public radio stations throughout the nation.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/history.html"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">NPR</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> was launched by President Johnson when he signed the Public Broadcasting Act. This new law was created by Congress to support "the growth and development of non-commercial radio" and to develop "programming that will be responsive to the interests of the people". During the 1960's and 70's radio and television network stations were quickly becoming large conglomerates steered by advertising dollars and other special interest movements.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">President Johnson was a visionary and was excited to introduce to the nation what he saw as a cultural institution which would strengthen our democracy through the use of fair and unbiased broadcasting. During the 1967</span><a href="http://www.cpb.org/aboutpb/act/remarks.html"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> signage of the Public Broadcasting Act</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, President Johnson stated:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The law that I will sign shortly announces to the world that our Nation wants more than just material wealth; our Nation wants more than a "chicken in every pot". We in America have an appetite for excellence, too. While we work every day to produce new goods and to create new wealth, we want most of all to enrich man's spirit.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first public broadcasting program to air was the 1971 Senate Vietnam hearings. Since then, NPR has maintained it's dedication to providing Americans with enriching programs and multi-dimensional news casts with shows such as </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Talk of the Nation</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All Things Considered</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; "><i>Talk of the Nation</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> boasts 14 million listeners weekly. NPR and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CPB</span> maintains it's strong commitment to showing all sides of the story and has retained 17 foreign news bureaus whereas all other media have shrunk their international presence. CBS by contrast, only maintains four foreign news bureaus.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Issue</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At many stages over the years, Congress has threatened to cease all monetary support. NPR and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">CPB</span> maintains that 2% of it's budget is direct federal funding and 8% is through indirect federal support for a total of 10% of funds being attributed to the federal government. The remaining 90% is from member station fees, individual and corporate membership contributions as other sponsorships. Most of the direct federal support is from the Department of Education which support children’s education and development programs such as Sesame Street. Though only 10% for their budget is threatened by the loss of government support, NPR and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">CPB</span> does need the money to thrive. One argument is that NPR has significant member contributions and has outlived it's need for government support. Opponents argue for continued support- stating that </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">because</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> of it's federal government contributions, NPR and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">CPB</span> is forced to provide unbiased programming representative of all US citizens and absent political or corporate bias.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many opponents also argue that NPR is too liberal leaning. In 2010 the Pew Research Center conducted a study on Americans’ views of accuracy in news media titled</span><a href="http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1341/press-accuracy-rating-hits-two-decade-low"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two-Decade Low</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Americans were asked to identify their party affiliation (Democrat, Republican, etc.) in addition to answering questions about their views on news media. The study found that 50% of Democrats, 43% of Independents and 39% of Republicans found <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">NPR's</span> reporting to be fair and accurate.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As an volunteer advocate for my local NPR and public television stations (Twin Cities Public Television), I was asked to speak at a rally in favor of government support of NPR; Congresswoman Betty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">McCollum</span> was host. Below are some of my comments:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Twin Cities Public Television (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">tpt</span>) is the classroom of our home. We "pulled the cable plug" over a year ago and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">tpt</span> has become our primary source of media. With <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">tpt</span> on, I never have to worry about monitoring shows in fear that my children might be exposed to violence or inappropriate language and content.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My family is very diverse. We represent many races, religions and political views. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">tpt</span> programming is unabashedly neutral and factual. All my family members enjoy the nationalistic and thought- provoking programming despite our varied differences.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">tpt</span> and public broadcasting is about providing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">non-</span>biased educational and informational programming which makes us all better Americans.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The reasons I believe the federal government should continue supporting public broadcasting are:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">childrens' </span>programs are absolutely stellar and are critical to the education of our nation's children;</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Because of the government dollars attached to the programming, the programs selected are much more balanced and representative of the rich diversity that makes up America; and</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">tpt</span> receives both member support and government support, there are no commercials to tell my children they "need " the latest toy. I never feel like monetary gain is the driving force behind programming decisions, as I do with other major news and media stations.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In closing, I liken NPR and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">CPB</span> programming to a national cultural institution, much like that of national museum, memorial or park. I trust that the intent of NPR programming is to strengthen our collective American experience and thus our country as a whole. Most American households (67%) tune in to a public television station at least once a month. It is a virtual learning center that does more than place talking heads rushing to spew the latest scrap of news; NPR programs are though-provoking and enriching. In a cost-benefit analysis, the total cost the federal government provides is minimal</span><a href="http://www.freepress.net/node/37318"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">(around $1.70 per citizen</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">). The ways in which we all benefit from NPR far outnumber the total tax burden per citizen. Big Bird may be old enough to leave the nest, but our reputable elders are the torch bearers who light the way through the thick of the fog- let's not leave them behind. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5666998384216590975.post-68737316678641893002011-06-28T15:15:00.001-05:002011-09-10T19:37:00.593-05:00It's Not Easy Being Green<a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4mkmXDogR2DybNXLWKxkY9cvPbSBb4Ku9sWx04Zoria2j48RA"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4mkmXDogR2DybNXLWKxkY9cvPbSBb4Ku9sWx04Zoria2j48RA" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 184px;" /></a><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.40433680869166577" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sing it, Kermit, “it's not easy being green”!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(insert image of Kermit-like frog toy)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Over the past few years, my family and I have integrated various “green” practices into our home life. We eat more home-grown vegetables, have joined various community shares agriculture programs (CSAs) and co-ops and have faithfully visited our local farmers’ markets. “Going green” also means being considerate about the amount of waste generated by our family and about being good stewards to the land by monitoring our usage of various chemicals.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We live in a typical “cookie-cutter” suburb which happens to house some of the best schools in the state. We chose our neighborhood because of the decent sized lot filled with mature trees, easy access to the airport and other amenities as well as close proximity to the city and places of employment. We confidently bought our little slice of “pretty and safe</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Americana as a place to raise our then newborn as well as the rest of the brood still to come. Naively, we did not know the full extent of all the latent rules which flow through the burb- topia machine; we soon figured out the hidden rules of the neighborhood game.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Every lawn in our neighborhood is picture perfect as if it belongs in the latest edition of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Golf Digest</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. While living right smack in the middle of the suburban golf course, one is expected to follow suite and keep your lawn looking the same as all the rest. If you are not par to course, you are the sore thumb and you are the kid that no one sits with during lunchtime. So how does one achieve lawn perfection? One word: chemicals.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As the new kids on the block struggling to fit in while maintaining our own unique identity, we had to make some tough choices. Do we stick to our ideals and risk being outcasts when our lawn comes up short compared to the rest of the lot or do we cave and spread the chemicals known for eliminating the native wees and “greening up” the lawn?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now I am not a chemist, nor do I play one at the local theater and I do realize that not all chemicals are bad. Furthermore, I'm not claiming that my family could be cited as a model "green family" that lives life in the pure. We are however, taking heed and asking questions before following status quo of conforming to the neighborhood barking order.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The burning questions: What are the chemicals placed on the lawns which magically transform them from celery green to a deep and rich broccoli leaf green? What sort of chemical magic is involved when one application will kill off clover, weeds and dandelion while sparing the blades of grass? What are the long term effects of these chemicals on barefoot pregnant moms or toddlers playing in the grass? Where do the chemicals roll off to when the ground becomes over saturated with sprinkler water? What are the long term effects of that roll-off which ultimately enter our water systems which are the arteries of our mother earth?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(picture or graph related to the issue)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-pesticides-parkinsons-20110526,0,4772737.story"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc3300; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This recent research</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> indicates a strong correlation between commonly used pesticides and Parkinson's disease. </span><a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/271308-lawn-chemicals-children/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc3300; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other research</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> shows strong links between children's exposure to lawn chemicals and disorders such as ADHD and Autism.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://www.ehhi.org/reports/lcpesticides/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #cc3300; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do your own research</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">perhaps it will do us all some good to stop and question just how “normal” is the norm, anyway?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In my household, we have decided to go old school and try to tackle the lawn issues sans harmful chemicals; this means a lot of elbow grease hours have gone into pulling weeds. Never before had I felt the primal satisfaction in getting a “good pull”- where I succeed in uprooting the entire three inch root of the weed beast. Chicken poop is our fertilizer of choice. Armed with spray bottles filled with vinegar and water, my son and his neighbor friends beg me to allow them the joy of “shooting” down the dandelions. We have even taken to eating lion's tooth (dandelion) salads. Still, our lawn doesn't stand up to par with the rest in the lot. We have bald patches and spreading clover and those darn dandelions put up a good fight, popping back up sooner than I prefer!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(insert picture of kids with vinegar bottles)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is not always easy “being green”. It is, at times, difficult to face the neighbors or even my own fears of being labeled as weird for having such a strange looking lawn. It is also much more labor intensive to spray and pull the weeds on a one by one basis. In the end though, I feel really good about allowing my children to play in the grass and about doing my little part in healing our earth.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Leigh Ann Ahmadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515294496541085312noreply@blogger.com0