20 June 2011

Sensuous Monday

Monday is my "day off". When I think of a free Monday, I think of all the business-type stuff that needs to be done. But lately I have become a bit blech about all the things I should be doing so instead, I am doing as little as possible. The backyard beckons. I put on a bikini (no pictures of that, ok? eck), and head downstairs.
Then I realize that I could enjoy taking care of some chores in the yard along with the enjoyment of the water. I grab some clippers and dead-head a bunch of flowers.


I water all the plants that are just suffering in this heat (!) and then the veggie garden. I grab the one tomato that made it so far (and it does not look so good; will probably use it in a sauce) and head back to the pool.

Even though the water is at the just-right temperature, I still inch my body into it as my skin gets accustomed to the chilliness of it. Hehe, my foot hits the slope and there was no more inching..a sudden slip right into the water and all is well. I dive under, swim to the other end and grab the float. Time to grab some sun. I float for a while and I can see all around the pool that there are things that really need to be done. I cannot just keep putting things off. I got the loppers, the big clippers and clean out one whole side of the pool which had been cut off from the overgrowth. Now we can walk along that side without being attacked by the branches, which may have teased us enough to lose out balance and end up in the water! What was nice about doing it then was that although it was 100 degrees, my body was cool from having been in the water. Made it totally bearable.
Well, that made me warm enough to dive back into the water! While in the water, I can see dozens of dragonflies buzzing around, some look like they're fighting or possibly trying to court each other; there were 2 who were flying while hooked up. Pretty cool little trick!
Then one of them lands on my toe and hangs there for a while. Since I was going into and out of the water, this time I decided to play with the dragonfly and stuck my finger straight up and the same dragonfly would come to it. I would float up and down the length of the pool while it stayed on my finger. It would take off when another would come too close and chase it off and then come back to my finger. I think I made a friend! While I sat by the side of the pool, it stayed on my toe the whole time. I think I need to name him. Drake....the dragonfly!




All this time, Pandora is playing on one of my favorite stations....totally sensuous music which, as it plays and I am in the pool, makes me move slowly, sensuously as well, enjoying the feel of the water, diving in and out and moving my legs like a mermaid would, coming up for air and going back down. I did this for a long time. I am a mermaid!! I LOVE looking up as I float without assistance, my ears under the water but still hearing the beat of the music. Is this like a sensory tank? I wonder how they feel. But as I am there I look straight up at the sky, with its intense blueness and puffed with clouds and just think that if only life could be forever!!

I go upstairs and make my most favorite sandwich in the whole wide world...a very simple one: French bread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, avocado slices, thin salted tomato slices (must have salt) and feta cheese. The juiciest strawberries I have had in years adorned the plate and ended my meal with chocolate covered cherries. Totally sensuous lunch!
I sat next to this little birdbath while I removed the weeds that popped through, put water in it for the birds. As I pulled on those weeds I felt like I was in a state of meditation which put me so at peace. Despite all the things I have to do, all the feelings that have come up lately with my work, my kids, my home, my personal life.... I was very at peace.

Maybe it's the way he sits there, holding that little bird that added to the moment.

I looked at one of the millions of pine needles around me and saw its beauty as it laid there ready to return to the earth.

****************
Once again I dipped into the pool, the day was ending, and realized today was the last day of spring. The sun has come and tomorrow it leaves me once again, to head back south. When I looked up at that moment the sun was behind a cloud....it was a perfectly circular cloud with the sun smack in the middle of it. The edges of the cloud were sooo white against the blue sky and the middle so dark...reminding me of its act... heading us back to the dark of winter. I flew out of the pool to get my camera but missed that perfect ball of a cloud.
I knew then it was time to go inside.

24 April 2011

My (ongoing) list of places I want to see


My (ONGOING) LIST OF PLACES I AM GOING TO SEE

Autumn in New England

Car trip to the northwest … Yellowstone and other national Parks

Car trip in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico

Alaska

Mexico

Costa Rica

Peru…..Machu Pichu

Brasil

Bolivia

Argentina…Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls

Canada road trip?

Greece, Malta, Crete

Italy, Switzerland, Austria

Croatia

Russia…. Moscow and St Petersburg

UK

Turkey Egypt Israel Iran

African Safari


Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar
India

Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet

Thailand, Malaysia

China

Japan

Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania

Bali, Fiji,

Cuba, Jamaica

DID I LEAVE ANY OUT???



Can’t Believe It’s Not Meatloaf

Raw Recipe that sounds Delicious....I want to try it
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Monday, January 24, 2011 at 3:45pm

From the Raw Recipe a Day site:
Can’t Believe It’s Not Meatloaf

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 red pepper
• ½ cup sweet onion, minced
• ½ cup celery, minced
• 1 tomato
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp onion
• Dash of oregano
• ½ tsp of miso
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Add all the above ingredients to a food processor, pulse chop until evenly distributed. Place meatloaf on a platter and shape into a loaf and serve.

*Note: This actually looks like real meat loaf and is absolutely delicious!

Winners and Losers - 33 differences

by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 10:55am

Striking Differences Between Winners and Losers

1 Winners focus on solutions. Losers focus on problems.
2 Winners take responsibility. Losers blame others.
3 Winners find opportunities in crisis. Losers complain about crisis.
4 Winners enjoy being in the present and learn from the past. Losers live in the past.
5 Winners make commitment and keep them no matter what. Losers make promises that they always break.
6 Winners think about how they can achieve. Losers give excuses.
7 Winners make personal development a priority. Losers neglect personal development.
8 Winners face their fear, accept it and take the leap. Losers dwell in their fear.
9 Winners constantly expand their comfort zone. Losers stay in their comfort zone.
10 Winners take action consistently. Losers refrain from taking action and lack consistency.
11 Winners take failure in their stride and learn from them. Losers fear failure and avoid them at all cost.
12 Winners try different strategies when they are not getting the results they want. Losers do the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
13 Winners set goals. Losers lack goals.
14 Winners plan. Losers hate having a plan.
15 Winners believe there are always things to be learn. Losers consider themselves as an expert even though they know little.
16 Winners are humble. Losers are egoistic.
17 Winners continue to hone their skill every other day without fail. Losers make little effort in honing their skill.
18 Winners work hard. Losers avoid work.
19 Winners give their best for the things that they decide to do. Losers work half heartedly in everything that they do.
20 Winners are persistent and will do whatever it takes (ethical means) to achieve their goal. Losers give up when obstacles pop up.
21 Winners manage their time well and indulge in high value activities that will bring them closer to their goals. Losers lack time management skills and indulge in time wasting activities like playing games and watching re runs for the umpteen time.
22 Winners dream in the day. Losers dream in bed.
23 Winners think about possibilities. Losers focus on obstacles that will stop them from achieving.
24 Winners are certain. Losers doubt.
25 Winners control their own destiny. Losers leave everything to their fate.
26 Winners give more than they take. Losers take more than they give.
27 Winners think whether the crowd is going in the right direction. If not, he will walk the other direction. Losers follow the crowd.
28 Winners think and lead. Losers refuse to think so they follow.
29 Winners listen. Losers fight for every chance to talk.
30 Winners always find a better way to do things. Losers stick to one way of doing things.
31 Winners spend money in seminars and classes to improve themselves. Losers think that spending money on seminars and classes is a waste of money and they prefer to buy toys that gives them instant gratification.
32 Winners help others to win. Losers refuse to help and think only about their own benefit.
33 Winners find like minded people like themselves that can bring them to greater height. Losers find like minded people like themselves that will drag them to failure.
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Maria Allen Cranford and Laney McLean like this.

When I think of Bali...

When I think of Bali...
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 11:15pm

....I think of this idyllic place where I want to live, on the beach, in a hut, with beauty all around me. But there are other realities. As a midwife I read this and yearn for a different experience in Bali. One of joining a midwife like Robin and helping make a difference for these poor women. Read how it is for some families who, because they have no money, cannot bring their babies home from the hospital or whose newborns just disappear. So sad.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/journalismcompetition/no-money-no-baby

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Laura Gilkey Beautiful words, Lillian. We'll make sure you get to screen Guerrilla Midwife up there soon and share your feelings with your community...it's a powerful film.

May 6, 2010 at 11:17pm · Like

Halloween Joke

Halloween Joke - yeah one day late - Thanks Karen
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 9:13am

An extremely modest man was in the hospital for a series of tests, the last of which had left his bodily systems extremely upset.

Upon making several false alarm trips to the bathroom, he decided the latest episode was another and stayed put. He suddenly filled his bed with diarrhea and was embarrassed beyond his ability to remain rational.

In a complete loss of composure he jumped out of bed, gathered up the bed sheets, and threw them out the hospital window.

A drunk man was walking by the hospital when the sheets landed on him. He started yelling, cursing, and swinging his arms violently trying to get the unknown things off, and ended up with the soiled sheets in a tangled pile at his feet.

As the drunk stood there, unsteady on his feet, staring down at the sheets, a hospital security guard who had watched the whole incident, walked up and asked, "What the heck is going on here?"
The drunk, still staring down replied: "I think I just beat the shit out of a ghost."
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Seared Scallops with Pumpkin Soup

Soup Recipe from my Google Reader mate, A Natural Nester
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 8:57am

Seared Scallops with Pumpkin Soup
12 oz. fresh sea scallops
1 can (15 oz) unflavored pumpkin puree
2 T roughly chopped hazelnuts
1-10 chives, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 T honey
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil

- Toast & chop the hazelnuts (10 min @ 400 degrees or 5-7 min over medium heat); set aside.
- Combine the pumpkin, honey, butter and broth (I used more than 1 cup to reach desired consistency) in a medium sauce pan and heat on low until completely warmed. Season with salt & pepper and keep warm.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and season them with salt & pepper. Add the oil to the pan, and then the scallops. Cook 2-3 min. on each side until they are firm and completely brown & caramelized.
- Pour the soup into a wide rimmed bowl. Add the scallops and hazelnuts, and garnish with the chopped chives. Makes 2 servings.

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Dave Smith Oh, that sounds wonderful.
November 28, 2009 at 9:05am · Like

Vitamin D needs

Calculator for Sun Exposure for Vitamin D needs
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 12:52am

http://nadir.nilu.no/~olaeng/fastrt/VitD-ez_quartMED.html

Based on my skin type, in Tallahassee at midday on the 26th of December with scattered clouds, I need 28 minutes of sun exposure every other day to obtain optimum Vitamin D levels.
Pretty cool.
There is a lot of information available now regarding Vitamin D needs. Google it. Dr Mercola has great articles on it and is a great proponent of sun exposure...... the natural way.

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Maria Allen Cranford and Vikki Earley like this.

Interesting data about birth and c-secs in FLorida.

Interesting data about birth and c-secs in FLorida.
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Monday, February 8, 2010 at 11:08pm

If you have a little time to spend reading, check this out.

http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/researchers/documents/cesarean2006.pdf

THe data is from 2006 and no doubt the rates of c-sections have gone up since then, but you can see the trend from 1996 to the publishing of the document. More and more sections!!
Interesting the price of birth, or as they say,the business of being born. And the prices are hospital only, it does not include the cost of the doctors, anestheseologists, pediatricians.
Private insurance folks have the highest c-sec rates.
Leon County is not too bad compared to other parts of the state, namely South Florida.
Hispanics are buying into the c-sec spin.
A teaching hospital (where you would probably see the high-risk folks) has the lowest c-sec rates.
And on and on.
Interesting.
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JeffreyandMaureen Ott likes this.

Katie Summerlin More than a third of all births in Florida are via C-section now! Whew! And here I thought that babies came out all by themselves!
February 9, 2010 at 8:00am via Facebook Mobile · Like

Laura Young We just learned about this in my Human Development class. It's ridiculous!
February 9, 2010 at 12:50pm · Like

For all those who nurse in public.....

For all those who nurse in public.....
by Lillian Sanpere Tarragona on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 11:27pm

I do not know who wrote this but it is cute.....

Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms

Would you nurse her in the park?
Would you nurse him in the dark?
Would you nurse him with a Boppy?
And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park,
I would nurse her in the dark.
I’d nurse with or without a Boppy.
Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with your seat belt on?
Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?
Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,
I will nurse her `till she’s full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?
Can you nurse and feed the group?
It makes her healthy strong and smart,
Mommy’s milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at the game?
Would you nurse her in the rain?
In front of those who dare complain?
I would nurse him at the game.
I would nurse her in the rain.

As for those who protest lactation,
I have the perfect explanation.
Mommy’s milk is tailor made
It’s the perfect food, you need no aid.

Some may scoff and some may wriggle,
Avert their eyes or even giggle.
To those who can be cruel and rude,
Remind them breast’s the perfect food!

I would never scoff or giggle,
Roll my eyes or even wiggle!
I would not be so crass or crude,
I KNOW that this milk’s the perfect food!

We make the amount we need
The perfect temp for every feed.
There’s no compare to milk from breast-
The perfect food, above the rest.

Those sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,
Mommy’s milk is such a treat.
Human milk just can’t be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,
On the street or in your face.
I will not let my baby cry,
I’ll meet her needs, I’ll always try.
It’s not about what’s good for you,
It’s best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse her in my home,
I will nurse her when I roam.
Leave me be lads and ma’am.
I will nurse her, Mom I am.

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Lindsey Morrow, Rebecca Harris and 2 others like this.
Christy Collins I LOVE THAT Alice! ♥
February 18, 2010 at 11:38pm via Facebook Mobile · Like

Jeanne Madrid sweet
February 18, 2010 at 11:58pm · Like

Charisma Davies I'm getting a lot fewer looks of mortification this time around than I did with the older ones. I'm proud of Tallahassee :o)
February 19, 2010 at 8:07am · Like

Margo Flippo Penton Not sure why I have tears streaming down my face.
February 19, 2010 at 9:26am · Like

Debby Babb I nursed all my babies in public..discreetly..never ever in a bathroom, yuck
February 19, 2010 at 9:58am · Like

Tanashia Roberts Huff Beautiful!
February 19, 2010 at 10:24am · Like

Margo Flippo Penton Did anyone notice that the "nursing room" at the Governor Sq Mall is just a large bathroom with a chair in the corner? It also happens to be where most people go when they have to poop at the mall. GROSS! I'll nurse in the food court, where everyone else gets to eat, thank you!
February 19, 2010 at 2:02pm · Like

Lillian Sanpere Tarragona Mid 1970s I fed Kristopher in the bathroom at a restaurant and I will always remember this one woman's disapproving look, even in there. I left and decided never again. I do not care where..... I will nurse him in my home, I will nurse him where I roam!!! Growl!!!!!
February 19, 2010 at 2:41pm · Like

Margo Flippo Penton I will say, I have nursed my children while on the potty at my house lots of times. Sometimes they just won't wait until Mama is finished. :)
February 19, 2010 at 2:45pm via · Like

Debby Babb We lived at the Comanche dock when my 1st child was born and while eating dinner at Comanche one night I went to the bathroom and there perched on the counter,resting against the mirror was a woman nursing her new baby.She apologized and quickly stopped feeding and hopped down..it was so bloody hot in there and no ventilation...I vowed right then never to putmyself or my child in that situation.
February 19, 2010 at 2:49pm · Like

Cecilia Ann Mitchell I didn't nurse in the bathroom, and I didn't give much thought to being discreet either. In fact, I don't think we should even try to be discreet. It's not like breastfeeding is something to be ashamed of! I feel strongly enough about this topic that I devoted a whole section of my website to it. ;-) http://birthyourwayjax.com/public.htm
February 19, 2010 at 4:10pm · Like

Lillian Sanpere Tarragona Big difference to how things were in the 70s when NO ONE nursed (well it seems like almost no one.... the rest were hiding). Many of my patients still want to hide or be discreet... no matter how hard I try to change their ways. They will get it after a while I'm sure.
February 19, 2010 at 4:38pm · Like

Selma Faucher we breast fed each others babies, thats how much things have changed.
February 19, 2010 at 10:23pm · Like

Lillian Sanpere Tarragona So true, Selma, we all did that. My kids have what we call in Spanish, milk brothers/sisters. (Hermanos de leche)
Some years ago I transferred a patient to the hospital and my assistant who was my patient's friend went up with us. She had ...See More
February 19, 2010 at 10:47pm · Like

Renee Early milk siblings.. I LOVE that idea! I nurse her any where, grocery shopping, church, restaurants.... doesn't matter to me I actually get a lot of women telling me they're proud of me for being so confident to nurse her. :)
February 20, 2010 at 7:13pm · Like

Lisa Cantrell I nursed Rich for 3 1/2 years and never hid. My mother in law didn't really like my nursing him at the table but if her meal was served when he was hungry it was a given it would happen. I wore him in a sling until he was walking and peop...See More
February 21, 2010 at 8:30am · Like

Lillian Sanpere Tarragona Right on Lisa. I too nursed until they were 2 1/2 to 3 1/2. Each one having different needs. I loved it.
February 21, 2010 at 10:18am · Like