November 3, 2008 - Day 2

My, my. How time flies. On this date 35 years ago, I met Harold. It was one of those flukey meetings where each of us was in a place we normally wouldn't have been - at least at that time. But isn't that how life goes most of the time?

Today is Day 2 of the Eleven Day Diet. This day is going to be tough because for 3 meals of the day, we have fruit. And then for one meal, a deli sandwich. It really does help me to know that I have company - even if we aren't talking about it. LOL!

The scale is up today. Yesterdays menu included cashew, and I forgot to take one of my meds so the water is making it presence knows.

Tomorrow is voting day. I am so tired of this election. Probably because the campaigning began early. I'm just sick of it. I am going to the polls tomorrow and trust that God is in charge - because he is.

I am heading out to burn trash and go for my first walk in a while. Never made it out yesterday. Will update when I get back.

Daily stats:
Type: Walk/jog
Route: Deadend/back
Time: Minutes
Average heart rate: 114
Maximum heart rate: 133
Up . 8 last Monday

The path was covered with deer tracks this morning. That means drivers need to be extra careful - the deer are on the run.

Word of the day:
Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 14:12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Quid pro quo. Isn't that what often drives us - this need to receive a return on our "investments?" That is all well and good in the banking world, but when dealing with our brothers and sisters, it can be a source for a lot of headache, heartache, and just plain bad feelings. When God gives us laws, it is not to restrict us, it is for our benefit. If we change the motivation of why we do what we do, we experience a paradigm shift. If we give out of guilt or obligation, you can bet we are going to be looking for reasons not to give. If the giver is reluctant, then he perceives the receiver as unworthy. This causes resentment - on both sides. But when love, not obligation, is the motivation, there is blessing for both the giver and receiver. The older I get, the more I find this to be true.
"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).



God bless our troops!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Okay, here's a little update. I took my computer in yesterday to have Corey, our technology guru, look and see why I was having so many issues with my computer. Seems that I had multiple viruses on it. My antivirus software? Zone Alarm. Apparently it didn't do what I paid for it to do, and oh, they have a 30 day guarantee so no pro-rated refund for me. Nice. Corey installed a free antivirus program. I wish I had consulted him, or my daughter Anna, in the first place.

Daily stats:
Type: Walk/jog
Route: Deadend/back
Time: 25
Average heart rate: couldn't find my hrm
Maximum heart rate: couldn't find my hrm
Don't know where I am in regard to last Thursday (will update when I have my own computer back.)

It was a beautiful morning for a walk. My right knee was giving me some trouble - I think it's because I used the highest incline on the treadmill yesterday and then didn't stretch enough afterwards. The scale is moving downward but I am still creating the carb cycling baseline. I am in ketosis again, as of last night so that is a very good thing.

I have no meetings tonight - whoo hoo - so I am going to check inventory and make some jar candles. I need to buy at least 2 more carts and it totally ticks me off that the price has jumped from 15 dollars to 22. I also need to order more pillar wax, but I am going to wait until after the next craft show when there is more money available. I do, however, have lots of container wax so that is where I will concentrate my efforts for a while.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
God's doesn't always give us what we ask for, but he always gives us what we need.


God bless the troops!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Important Update: I received the following email. I checked it out and this is very scary.

Hi Mary,

My name is John Alfred.

I stopped by your "Musings From the Sugar Bush" blog where you recently posted "Saturday, September 6, 2008 (09/06/2008)". Since I can see that you are actively blogging and knowing that most bloggers are well connected, I would like to request a quick, small favor.

Cutting to the chase here... all I'm asking is for you to sign a petition and pass it on to your friends. It will just take 2 minutes of your time and will help raise awareness of a security threat that affects an estimated 95% of homes in the USA.

The threat that has us concerned is called a "bump key" (think of it as a universal house key) and bump keys are currently being sold on the Internet for $3 to anyone who wants one. The sale of these keys should be regulated just like lock pick sets and other locksmith tools but the laws in most states have not caught up. So far, only Delaware and California have updated their laws (in July, 2008) to address bump keys.

By voicing our support using an online petition we wish to show legislatures in each state that this is important to us and encourage them to follow the lead of Delaware and California to quickly update their laws. At the same time we are promoting awareness of this issue so people who choose to do so can take steps to protect themselves.

A friend of mine, Rob Yaggie, is spearheading the effort using a site he launched at www.BanBumpKeys.com . It informs people of the problem, asks them to sign the petition and discusses free and low cost personal safety solutions. IMPORTANT NOTE: The purpose of this site is to create awareness and organize support ... it is not a sales site and does not sell anything.

Please take a minute to learn more, sign the petition yourself and help spread the word by telling your friends.
http://BanBumpKeys.com

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I woke up this morning feeling a bit melancholy. Did you know that you could be happy and melancholy at the same time? I couldn't pin down the cause because there really isn't anything going on to cause it. But, I think perhaps it is the change of season. Seasons remind us of our mortality. They remind us that life is constantly in a state of flux. Change makes me nervous because I don't do well with transitions. Part of that could be due to the nebulous beginnings and endings. I am mourning the passing of one season and joyfully anticipating the advent of a new one. But the beginnings and endings of seasons are not cut and dried. They do not conform to dates in a planner. That makes me nervous. I have no control. Ah, there it is. I am reminded that I am not in control.

And yet with the changing of the seasons there is a bigger picture. There IS a constancy and an unchanging reality if we take our focus off the day-to-day and look at the whole. The seasons come and go in the fullness of time, according to God's plan. It is then that I am supremely glad that I am not the one who is in control.

On the lowcarb front:
I didn't get a workout in this morning, and I may not get to it later, but I have found that my need to blog in the morning is rooted in the fact that starting my day with the reading of the Gospel keeps me grounded. Workouts are important, especially at my "use it or lose it" stage of life, but they are not the most important. I am learning that my best - if it is indeed my best, is good enough, and while perfection is an ideal to keep in mind when setting goals, it can also lead to an "all or nothing" mentality. God doesn't ask for perfection, he has that. What he wants is us - warts and all. That being said, I will try to remember to at least lift some weights later today.

Word of the day:
Gospel
Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that ‘every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
I attended an RCIA conference a few years ago and one of the speakers made an illustration with regard to the formation of catechumens and candidates. He said, "discernment outside the presence of the subject is gossip." In last night's homily Father said something that would make an excellent addition to that statement. He said there are 3 conditions to approaching a perceived wrongdoer.

1. It must be true
2. It must be necessary
3. It must be done out of love.

Let those who have ears hear!

God bless the troops!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

On the lowcarb front:

My stats for today:
Type: Treadmill
Route: manual settings
Time: 20
Average heart rate: 118
Maximum heart rate: 138
Calories burned: 128
Down 2.4 from last Saturday
I had planned to walk outside today, but ended up on the treadmill instead. I expect next week to be a much better, less hectic week. My goal focus wavered a bit over the last couple of days, but I am good to go today.

We have a family get together this evening. Always a lot of food (this family has some fantastic cooks), so that will be a challenge, but we have a lot of out-of town family who will be there so it shouldn't be too hard to focus on people instead of whatever is on the buffet. Harold's family is very big (he is one of 12 kids) so when we get together it is always major party mode. We have fun. The older I get, the more I appreciate the blessings I've been given.

Word of the day:
Gospel
Lk 6:1-5

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
One can only wonder what the Pharisees would have done if they had known to whom they were speaking. For learned and educated people, these guys sure didn't get it. I find it interesting that for such holy men, who had to keep track of laws and all (from which they often exempted themselves) they sure seemed to have an awful lot of time on their hands. One wonders what they were even doing near that field of grain on the sabbath. Surely that was in violation of one of their laundry list of rules and regulations. And I would think that just committing that list to memory - not to mention putting their own spin on it - would take up a good chunk of their lives.

Here are some laws that are on the books today in the US:

Alabama

• It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.
• Dominoes may not be played on Sunday.
• It is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

California

• Sunshine is guaranteed to the masses.
• Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
  
• Bathhouses are against the law.
  
• It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.
• Women may not drive in a house coat.

Florida

• Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner.
• A special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing.
• If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
• It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.
• Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.
• Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
• It is illegal to skateboard without a license.

Kansas

• Prohibits shooting rabbits from a motorboat.

Louisiana

• It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.

Indiana

• It is illegal for a liquor store to sell cold soft drinks.
• Liquor stores may not sell milk.

Michigan

• You may not swear in front of women and children in the state of Michigan. (Actually, I like this law. I get really tired of hearing the F bomb used in casual conversation. )
  

Nebraska

• It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

New York

• A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.
• It is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun.
• A license must be purchased before hanging clothes on a clothesline.
• The penalty for jumping off a building is death.

North Dakota

• Beer and pretzels can't be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
• It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

Ohio

• It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.
• It is illegal to get a fish drunk.

Pennsylvania

• A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.

Texas

• It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.
• It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.
• It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
• It is illegal to milk another person's cow.
• A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
• The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Wisconsin

• You must manually flush all urinals in a building.
• Butter substitutes are not allowed to be served in state prisons.

You can find more of these gems at:
dumblaws.com where you can find hundreds of additional "dumb laws".

Context, folks, it's all about context.


God bless the troops!