New computer

My computer crashed and I have not been able to get into this account until today.  We had a good fine arts and jazz festival although I worked too hard and was sooo tired.  The art was beautiful and the jazz musicians seem to be happy with the set-up.  The audience enjoyed the music.  My son and family came by.  He was playing in a group and I got to see him and family for a few minutes.

I am still a vegetarian.  Many people ask me, "Don't you miss meat."  No, I don't miss meat, what I miss is more variety in the places I go to eat.  Most places have one or two choices for vegetarians and most are pasta+.  I would like to have some friends who are also vegetarian so we could compare notes on where to eat in this area.

I was listening to an ad while half asleep and thought, "What a crazy country we live in?"  Then I hear all the political ads that are on the TV now and I know its a crazy country.  What are we going to do?  How can we take this country back to a more sane time and place.  It seems out of control to me.  Where would I live if I didn't live here?  Don't know.

It's working

Well, I lost another 1 1/2 pounds.  This is the least I have weighed in 10 years.  I am so happy about this and I will continue with Eat to Live diet and see where it takes me.  I read a blog criticizing this whole idea and saying that they never lost any weight, but in the same sentence they said they continued to eat meat and dairy products and I don't know what else they continued to eat, but clearly they were not sticking to the plan.  I would really like to have some more people comment on my progress and to join my blog.  Well, I checked on my view count and it is up so I guess people are at least viewing what I am doing on my diet.  Please join my blog, thank you.

What can I say?

After all is said and done I wished I had started being a vegetarian years ago.  I have often said I like vegetables and fruits so much I could be a vegetarian but never did it, now I have and I really like it.  Last night we went to an evening gathering of our senior group and I eat only veggies and some delicious cantaloupe and didn't even want the cake or pudding that was on the buffet table.  Such a feeling of relief to pass up the sweets.  That makes three times this week I have passed on sweets, I cannot believe it. 

The real test is coming.  My oldest son is coming on Sunday with his kids to spend the week and I have to find food for them, they all like meat and lots of pasta, cheese and pizza; don't forget hamburgers, soda pop and ice cream.  How will I cope?  Then I will be going to stay with younger son who in on the Paelo Diet.  What then?  I will try to cope with these challenges and get back to the blog with results.

It's going good

My new diet is going good, I am studing more and more about a vegan lifestyle.  I would like to meet other vegans and have their help.  I am looking forward to going on vacation and trying my new diet then.  I am sure it will be difficult with others cooking and asking about what I am eating, but I plan to stick with it as much as possible.

EAT to LIVE. She kept to the plan

"She kept to the plan," was the theme in a story of one successful person's journey to health and slimness in Eat to Live.  That's how I feel when I am tempted by sweets or cheese, that I am keeping to the plan for a slimmer, healthier me.  My diet is progressing.  It is slow and not always easy; it is especially hard because I go out a lot and eat at different places.  Yesterday, I took my lunch of salad and fruit to my senior's group luncheon since they always serve something heavy in meat (yesterday was a sausage in a bun with potato chips, some fruit and many deserts.)  It worked out fine so I will continue to take what I can eat.  I don't ask anyone to eat what I'm eating and I only get a few looks and questions for my special diet, although I sometimes feel like a rabbit or a cow with all my greens, lettuce, lettuce and more lettuce.  I am still tempted greatly by sweets, there are always cakes, pies and cookies at all the functions I go to and I love sweets.  That is the hardest part for now, but hopefully I will be able to resist, limit or substitute something else for these temptations. 

I usually eat fruit for breakfast, salad and fruit for lunch, for dinner its more salad, beans, rice at times and more raw veggies.  I am making my own salad dressings.  I don't feel hungry or deprived.  I feel very satisfied and don't miss meat or heavy food.  I think my body is responding favorably.

My New-Found Hope

I hope someone will read this blog.  This may not be for everyone, but it is for me.  We are an obese nation and I am so overweight I need something to help me.  I have been seaching for a more sensible diet and I have found it.  I am following the Eat to Live diet by Joel Fuhrman.  I started reading his book about 2 weeks ago and started the six week diet a week ago. This diet is vegan for the first 6 weeks, then you can introduce some animal products back into your diet if you wish, especially fish.  I quit eating meat about a month ago and now I am mostly vegan and have lost 4 pounds in about 6 days.  I feel very good, I don't miss meat.  I miss cheese a little but I will find substitutes.  I recommend this book to everyone who ever wanted to improved their health, their diet, or to feel better about what they are putting into their bodies.  Some people say to me, "What about your protein?"  Well, they need to study the facts, broccoli or romaine lettuce have as much protein as meat and beans are a wonderful source of protein.  Others say to me "I couldn't eat that way because I base all my meals around the meat as the main dish and the vegetables and salads are side dishes."  This book (Eat to Live) has an important saying for that "The salad is the main dish."  I also read The Complete Vegan Kitchen by Jannequin Bennett, which was very good and I'm now reading The Cure: Heal You Body, Save Your Life by Timothy Brantley.  Very interesting, it deals with the causes of disease in our country of magnificent health care, like why do we have so much cancer, diabetes, and heart problems, maybe our diet.  If you don't want to change your diet to help yourself, think about your children, our children are becoming so obese.  Watch the Olympics.  Do you think the atheletes eat junk food, white bread, candy and sweet soda water drinks all the time? We get sick, we go to the doctor and take a bunch of drugs, what more can we do?  How about going back to nature and eating natural, healthful fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts?  Try it, you may find you like it. 

Adding some photos to my blog

Dancing Orchids

Exotica

Exhibit at Buda Tourism Office in Stagecoach Park

My one-artist exhibit is up in the tourism office in Stagecoach Park in downtown Buda, Texas on Main Street.  I will be exhibiting for the entire month of July.  Please drop by and take a look.  I will have a reception later this month and will send my information on this when it is finalized.

Buda Fine Arts and Jazz Festival

I met today with my co-worker on the Jazz Festival scheduled for Oct 20 from 2 to 8pm in downtown Buda, Texas on the greenbelt.  We will have a head-liner band, the Jitterbug Vipers, who is very popluar in the central Texas area, several well-known singers, Kim Kafka accompanied by Morris Nelms, Dena Taylor accompanied by David Chao, and several jazz bands, including Steve Shoen.  I am sure this will be a welcome addition to the art festival, which is in its 9th year and going strong.  The Art Festival is schedule for October 20 and 21.  There will also be music on Saturday morning and all day Sunday.  The Art Festival will include 40 to 50 fine artists, a children's art tent manned by local talented artists, and a silent auction that supports scholarships for local high school seniors that will be continuing there art in college.  Local restaurants will have food booths or will be open to serve the public and there will be a quilt showat the city hall sponsored by the Buda Bees.  Our website is http://www.budafineartsfestival.com/.

Kansas Trip

Richard and I are headed to Wichita, Kansas on Friday, May 31 to spend the weekend with my father's family.  This is the annual White reunion at Willie and Carla White's house.  I will be seeing many of my relatives that I only see once a year and catch up on what is happening with them.  We will be driving and I hope to take some good photos to encourage me to paint some new paintings. 

I am scheduled for a one-person exhibit in the Buda Tourism Office/Stagecoach Park in July, 2012 and I'm looking forward to seeing many of my friends and patrons at the exhibit reception.  More information on reception later.  I am presently working on a series of cloud paintings and hope to have several ready for the July exhibit.

Art Leagues and such.

I have recently rejoined an art group, Creative Arts Society (CAS), and joined the Wimberley Valley Art League(WVAL).  They both have very fine websites that I would ask you to visit.  creativeartssociety.org and wimberleyvalleyartleague.com. Take a minute and look them over.  We had a great meeting tonight at WVAL.  I go with a group of fellow artists to these meetings so we get to discuss many art related items or the way going and coming home.  So much fun.

Easter weekend

It is beautiful weather here in Texas and Easter weekend was great.  We spent the weekend with children and grandchildren.  They had the usual egg hunt and an egg-in-spoon race.  We ate lots of good food and visited. We celebrated two grandchildren's birthdays.  Everyone had a good time.  I am really enjoying the Spring weather.  Everything is so green and the flowers are blooming everywhere.  So different from last year's drought and dead and brown everywhere.  I am painting again, this time cloud paintings.  I will post some photos as soon as I can.

Buda Fine Arts Festival

For 9 years the Fine Arts committee have been producing a fine arts festival in downtown Buda, Texas.  We are in the process of adding a Jazz Festival in conjuction with the arts festival.  This is so exciting and also lots of work.  Any comments you have for me on producing this would be greatly appreciated.  I need all the help I can get. Our festival will be held October 27 and 28, 2012.  The public is invited and welcome.

Green

Everything is so Green.  It looks so good after a Spring, Summer and Fall of brown due to the extreme drought.  We have had lots of rain in January and February and now it feels like Spring in Winter.  We have had very little winter weather, two or three freezes is all.  I don't like cold weather so it suits me fine.  I have not been painting, but sewing a lot.  We have family almost every other weekend and its great.  I have been working on Ancestry.com lots and have discovered relatives I didn't know.  Its great and I love discovering my family roots. 

Happy New Year

We had a great time on New Year's Eve.  A party with friends, games, some drinks, dancing, singing and home by 12:30, thats what I call a good time. 

Looking forward, I hope for you a new year filled with family, friends, good health, happiness and all the things you are dreaming of.