WALKING TO SAN FRANCISCO

My son is walking to San Francisco. 600 miles. Whittier, CA  to San Franciso, CA.Today is his birthday and it's his 5th day, alone, and on foot.

     One of my clients once told me that there was no one in the world who could make her as angry as her children. I agree.  

     In my professional life I deal with the most intimate details of a person's life.  Clients tell me what side of the bed they sleep on, where they keep their underwear and how they like to shower.  We discuss money situations, how they interact with husband/wife, children, co-workers, what bothers them about the person they live with and lots more most people only discuss with their therapists.  I'm an interior designer.  

     In spite of all this personal information and the quirky things clients do; and in spite of the surprising and sometimes idiotic things other family members do (including hubby), nobody moves me like my kids do.

     Grocery shopping yesterday I had to hide behind the loaves of bread to wipe away my tears as I thought of my son's swollen feet and sunburnt ears.  It's his choice, his adventure, I thought, but those feet still popped into my mind's eye.  And I worry he'll be attacked by a bear or a wild cat!  

     My children have grown into very interesting adults.  They are smart, honest, strong and even when they are afraid, they do the right thing.  My heart bursts with pride when I think of them and of their "wild and crazy" challenges.  But, honestly, sometimes I wish they were still little and listened to what I said.  I pray for them each day and send them white light.  

     Please keep Adrian, my son in your thoughts. 

Back from the Bermuda Triangle

     After spending the prescribed time in the Bermuda Triangle, I am finally back at work.
My Bermuda Triangle typically starts a few days before Halloween; continues with Thanksgiving and should end the day after Christmas (hence the triangle)--but truly, are all the brownies, cookies, fruit cakes and truffles gone by December 26th?  Not in my house.  We are blessed with friends and relatives who shower us with  goodies traditional during the season, so MY Bermuda Triangle extends through New Year's and finally, FINALLY ends the night of Jan. 6th when we cut the Three Kings Wreath in celebration of the Epiphany and try to pass the buck with that little plastic doll stuck deep inside the soft, sweet, delicious wreath.  "What?" you say.  More on that later.
      When the kids were little, Halloween was a much bigger production, nowadays, I drive down to the store and buy a barrelful of candy and have my husband pass it out while I watch re-runs of "Law & Order".  At some point that night I ask him to give fistfuls away because I don't want a bushel of M&Ms left over (oops, I just revealed that I don't always pass out "green/healthy" candy--but what the hey, it's Halloween!)   
     Thanksgiving is another story. While I never have to cook for that celebration, I'm usually up to my elbows in Christmas shopping before Thursday--yes, I start before the "official"  gunshot goes off.  This year, however, Diandra and I started about two weeks before Thanksgiving, shopping, setting up two Christmas trees, countless other decorations and merchandising our beautiful products for our Holiday Boutiques.  We had scheduled several Boutique Events, but because we've moved out of our showroom and have taken ECO-Design Ware the direct sales (party plan) route, the Events were to be held "chez moi" and my courage ran low.  Diandra and I decided two events would be enough and had a great time at our first one eating cookies, drinking hot apple cider and gossiping.  So in a sense, I felt that I was ahead of schedule getting the house ready for visitors and celebrations and felt my shopping was under control.  
     Well, who knows what happened because, although I never felt rushed (in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed all the time before and all the time after Christmas), I kept having to go back to the stores.  Honestly, I think I was so organized and so set on enjoying my time with family that I i began to feel deprived!  I was depriving myself of all the hustle and bustle of the stores, all the glittery lights, the sales, the lines, the cold, the hot drinks in your car, the rushing.  And what's Christmas without all that?!!  So I did it, just for fun!  
  And then, the day after Christmas, my husband and I left for a trip--we left our kids and all the leftovers (!) alone in the house--our oldest who had traveled from San Francisco to spend time with us, our youngest, who had traveled from Santa Barbara to be with his parents and our middle child, who lives with us and was happy to see us go.  We did come back on the 31st, but, to an empty house--no, wait, it wasn't empty, it was full of ants, after the parties our kids had.  But we were happy to be back. And our kids re-appeared after the new year, and I tried to work a little, but found it impossible because we believe in new beginnings and so we started remodeling the kids' bathroom that Monday.  
     On Thursday the 6th we cut the wreath.  The wreath is a pastry in the shape of a Christmas wreath that holds a little plastic baby inside.  Family and friends gather together, as did the shepherds and the Three Wise Men to visit the Baby Jesus.  If you get the plastic baby in your slice, you are obligated to have a party either on Feb 2 or host the cutting of the wreath the following year.  
     So now, several pounds later, and completely happy and satisfied, I emerge from my Bermuda Triangle:  Diandra is our hostess for next year. The remodeling will be done tomorrow when Erick (my tile contractor) installs the shower doors.  And I will be happy to go back to worrying about other people's remodeling--for that's what I do for a living, I'm a designer.

Donating That Extra Fat

     It would be lovely to get rid of all that extra fat gained over the holidays by donating it to a charitable cause; however, it just doesn't work that way.  There is an alternative, though!   But let's get things straight first.  If you're not a vegan or a vegetarian, do you really want to give up the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner with all it's fixin's?  
     If you said no, this is for you:  Since the foods cooked for the traditional holiday meal are in season anyway, try shopping at your local farmers' market to get the freshest, locally grown produce.  If you're first choice is shopping at the grocery store, try staying with organic produce and poultry.  
     At dinner time, pile up on the fresh produce and a small slice of turkey, leaving as little room in your stomach for the "extras"--pumpkin pie, grandma's stuffing, fresh baked cookies, etc.  
     Now, ideally the turkey would be roasted in an oven with as little extra fat as possible, but there are many who enjoy a deep fried turkey--and who knew, these people could be contributing to a greener environment by donating the fryer oil! This is exactly what folks in Plano, Texas did a few years ago.  After deep-frying their turkey, rather then leaving the fat to head for the landfill and rot, polluting the surrounding air, the Plano City workers collected the bird fat from residents for use in the bio-fuels industry! 
     FYI: the Green Restaurant Service, a program run by a California based company is where the fat was sent.  Biodiesel Industries, Inc. collects fryer oil from restaurants in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties and converts it to biodiesel, a non-toxic, biodegradable replacement for petroleum diesel that can be used in all diesel engines with little or no modification. Cool alternative, don't you think? 

Thanksgiving Is Upon Us

Table setting is
made from recycled glass

Halloween is over.  The Christmas decorations are out in our local stores, so I guess it's Thanksgiving.  But I'm not panicking.
     My first concern when I entertain, is always the comfort of my guests, and in my mind that includes--mind you, not a fancy, expensive place, but a beautiful, welcoming home:  A clean house with sparkling bathrooms is a given.  Soft lights and warm drinks as people come in.  Light nibbles before the meal is served.  And above all, a "green" table setting is what's on my mind today.
     While we can make our Thanksgiving celebration eco-friendly by shopping locally and shopping organically, we can often forget where our food is served and stored.  In other words, if we're having a sizable party, are we going to be using styrofoam plates and plastic utensils which will end up, at the end of the day in our trash, and at the end of the week, in our overcrowded landfills? And worse yet, are the leftovers going to be stored in plastic containers so that when we eat them the next day, we will also be "eating" a little bit of plastic that's leached onto our food?
     I vote for bringing out our best china--if you don't have a set of china, bring out your mismatched, chipped, stoneware; spread a softly worn cotton, bamboo or if you must "Evolution" table cloth--made from recycled plastic bottles.  Lay down your diligently, hand polished stainless steel forks and knives over cloth napkins--silver is not necessary!  And line the middle of your table with flowers or greenery from your back yard.  Sit back and enjoy the food you and your family cooked and most importantly, remember to feel gratitude for another year on this planet, for the food before you, and for the people surrounding your table.
(Next time: eco-friendly storing and cleaning)