Food

Unique discoveries

/ Melinda / 2 Comments

Last June, when visiting an old friend in Palmer, Alaska, I learned about a veggie powder drink that one of her clients drank twice a day.  The client’s daughter in Seattle, makes it. She was really jazzed by it.  I bought a packet, which is enough for twice a day drink for one month. Cost $40.  You add it to juice (I do it with Tropicana Orange juice) or water. Or you could make a smoothie with it. Shake it up with juice – it was quite pleasant. My friend in Palmer thought it had a yucky taste, but she only mixed it with water or apple juice – neither of which I would recommend, its alright, but my least favorite.  Ok I figured I would just try it. Quality food in a small packet can’t be all that bad.

What I did not expect was how it smelled when I first opened the packet (a vacuum sealed bag). It smelled like I just walked into a garden.   Lo and behold, I was not hungry thereafter.  A barrel of energy I have not felt in years and my body functions became normal, instead of slow, sluggish crap it had become. And it became a wow, a huge WOW.   I can’t tell you how many times I re-read the ingredients list, thinking there must be some hidden ingredient to make me feel this fantastic..  Then I learned, due to the fact it bypasses the digestive enzymes and goes straight to your blood stream – you get the full benefits of this nutrition.  Double wow.  If you want the ingredients, just ask me.  She is working on a web page and will be starting soon to sell it from there. I will share that when it becomes available.

The instructions recommend the morning and evening drinking of this. Comes with a scoop to measure it. And for lunch you eat a quality lunch.  No dieting here. Eat a hearty lunch.  And drink plenty of water.  Its the best thing for me living on the road… so easy… and so very good.

Then I ran out and to make a long story shorter…. and as I was the first person, outside of the family and friends of the daughter, in getting this… its been a challenge getting it, until now. Or when I did, it was not the same formula.  Jenny (the daughter) has been working or tweaking it for a few years.  I met her in September in Seattle – a delightful gal, but was stunned to hear how old she was. I figured 30’s, not 50’s. She and her Mom in AK have been drinking this stuff for over 2 years – neither have been sick since they started drinking this. Her Mom is 94 years old.  I can’t say enough good about this product.  Am really jazzed by this discovery.

So onward.  I had injured my neck in Zumba a couple of weeks ago – or was it lifting all these books at the apartment… or was it slipping and falling on the ice…  I don’t know, but I was out of commission for a few days. Then winter decided to show itself (finally!!!) in Haines with raining/snowing 3 inches of slush – what a mess! That’s now rock hard ice. My studs/cleats have zero purchase with this ice, so no walking on it. Then it snowed on top of the ice and went into the deep freeze. Today, its misty rain on top of all this… whoa is me.

But today, I went back to Zumba.  I only did 30 minutes and without weights.  I did not want to abuse my shoulders or neck.  I just love this Zumba…  Today tho, was the first time since starting that I really heard the music. Before, it was just trying to do the fast paced steps. I’m hooked.

Small Zumba class in session

So have been seriously distracted with newfound friends, trying to re-focus to get back at the task at hand.  Probably will get my friend Natasha to come back in to push me along. Her significant other hit a moose a few days ago, totaled his truck. Life is constant change around here.

Ooh what fun!

/ Melinda / 2 Comments

Time continues to fly by… when you are having fun.

Most of the work prepping the contents of the house is done, what’s left is to price everything for the sale. While they were fine-tuning the displays, I was busy re-organizing some of my spaces and doing Spring cleaning in my own rig.  I have another sister-in-law meeting me near Seattle to travel up to Alaska with me. So I needed to free up a drawer or two.  Still have a little bit more to do, but yesterday we all went to two fabulous places.

The first was the New Hope Mill store.  No photos taken there, too busy checking out the store. The old mill is no longer used to make the flours, etc and I did not actually see it this trip, but the store was wonderfully full of all their flours, pancake mixes, grains, honeys, salad dressings, etc.  For years, we were gifted New Hope pancakes mixes… always a welcomed gift, now to see the variety is pretty amazing.

Then we went to tour the MacKenzie-Childs estates.. Quite frankly, I had no idea what was in store for me there, so went along for the ride.

Entrance

As we walked thru this tunnel above – beautiful, stunning wicker furniture was visible, then into the courtyard… more elaborate wicker details. Distinctive structure, not normally seen in wicker. And I thought – so this is what they are known for.  An understated beauty.

Tulips? We just beginning to bloom here

Table, chairs were all wicker – this in courtyard

Wicker swing

Then they took me into the store… oh my oh my oh my… brilliant colors, fabulous patterns, my eyes had way too much trouble seeing it all.  Kept thinking my Mom would have loved to come into this place.  They have it set up within the different patterns in pottery and wicker – such as the black and white checkered look, to butterflies.  It was seemingly endless of the ways in which the patterns would and could be incorporated into things… but then they combined the patterns into one of a kind, amazing items. Such as a table leg could be turned upside down and then it became a lamp and each unique pattern was a circular strip around the leg/lamp base.

Did I take photos – of the huge barns (working studios), the lands or even the large 3 story home in which we had a walk-thru tour.  I couldn’t help but say WOW at every turn… it was so amazing, simply amazing to see – no, it did not occur to me to take photos… just trying to absorb all the eye candy was overwhelming…  wonderfully overwhelming.  Highly recommend anyone visiting this area, to come see.
When we were done with the tour, it was pouring down rain… so went back to the store to dry out a a bit. A dangerous thing to do….  It was pointed out to me a doll house in a different room from the store.  A doll house?!?….A doll house to die for…  that was easily 6 feet tall…. I have collected miniatures for years, to see this captured my attention like no other.  It was not lit up and I had no idea if it could be lit up, all behind glass too… so the following photos – click to enlarge and enjoy!
To my weaving friends… the rugs, bedspreads, towels, were all handwoven. Most of the furniture is wicker. I was told the entire doll house and each individual piece was hand made to exact scale, based on MacKenzie-Childs style.

Two floors

Table on left is wicker

Wicker lounge chair on balcony, looking in

A “sitting or sun” room on top of doll house

Trying to get different views to show things

The “turtles” are soup tureens

Itty-bitty toilet paper roll..

Wicker table, lamp, etc

Clothes line next to “Sun” room

I neglected to mention that each and every piece of pottery is hand made, painted by artisans trained in each pattern, and they each have their own unique style that is incorporated.  When watching how they make their pottery, the whole process from shaping to the final glaze. I realized none of this is ever mass produced, therefore I wanted one item to support my fellow artist.  I bought a tea kettle. Its beautiful.  I bought a size too big for my cooktop, so when I get it exchanged for a smaller 2 quart kettle, I will take a picture to share.

Lifestyle change…

/ Melinda / 4 Comments
At friend’s home

What a doozy getting into this parking spot, as pictured above.  I had attempted to back in, but it was not near as doable as I would have liked.  As it is, I left two grooves in the street, and two scratches at the base of their driveway by the two posts that hang down under my rig. Thankful for those two posts, as no damage to my rig. And that was with extra boards being laid down to change the degree of slope at base of driveway.  Will have to repeat this when I leave, but it confirms I’m not coming and going in my rig while staying with my friends Jim & Bev.  Grrrrrr….

But I am here.  They live in a wonderful neighborhood in Jacksonville Beach, with lots of old growth trees and spanish moss.  No real traffic on these streets, as one easily gets lost back in here. In fact had Bev with me, guiding me to there house.  I was surprised to learn they are around 200 yards from the Intercoastal Waterway.  No clue of being near any water, little lone the inter coastal waterway.

I have been busy making a ton of phone calls to find a store in this area that will honor the Michelin Tire recall. Out of my 7 tires, 5 will be replaced. I’m going to inquire on whether I can get the 2 done in October under the same recall, but won’t know until I get there. Nonetheless… finding someone that carries my tires is amazingly difficult – or I just haven’t called enough places yet.  In checking the data on the tires, I once again have the same issue I had on the two tires I replaced in October, complete cracking around the base of the tread.  It does not encourage me to hit the road with defective tires. So I will continue calling…

Have you ever read “Eat for Health”?  I’ve been reading it off and on over the past year, but until I went to another set of friends home for appetizers a few days ago, has changed me from a casual reader of said book, to action.  My body just rebels against processed foods and I am tired of spending my nights at the toilet. This book pulls together plus adds more details of things my own doctor has pushed me to change in my life.  It is not a diet, its a life style change.  I have watched my good friend Cheri follow “Eat for Health” for the last 3 or so years. I just thought she decided to be a vegan and I quite honestly wasn’t interested in being a vegan.  Well, in reading this book, that is a chose you can take, but its not for everyone. Good.  Cause I do like my fish…

So off to the commissary to get fruits and veggies and I am now following the initial steps of “Eat for Health”.  They have you follow what you’ve been eating, just add more of fruits and veggies initially. So I’m getting one big salad in a day, plus eating 3 fruits each morning, in addition to what I normally eat. Far more food then I normally eat, but have already found I’m not nibbling thru the day like I was before. I’m impressed that that is already happening. So wish me luck folks.

Last of OKC for now..

/ Melinda / 2 Comments
After Sarah got off work, she picked me up to do a tad more sightseeing before dinner.  As we sat at a stoplight, I looked to my right and there was a Russell Stover Outlet store… Did I go to heaven or what?  I had no idea they had an outlet store. Sarah casually asks – “want to check it out?”. Seriously?  So a quick turn in and…  there was way-y too much chocolate to comprehend.  Is that possible?  Nah, I was exaggerating… not!  They have all the holidays chocolates out (Halloween, Valentines, Easter, Christmas, etc), but I looked past the holiday stuff and zero’d in on Bloopers. Bloopers, who could have dreamed bloopers would be such a gold mine of goodies.  If I had known, I would have bought more… I think.  Nonetheless, bloopers are their flunkies – broken pieces, drizzles not right or some other mis-formed candy – stuffed into a little bag for a cheap, cheap price. Oh my…  I grabbed a bag of chocolate crispies which was about 8 Santa boots, and miscellaneous other pieces of crispies. Wow!

Last night, went out to dinner at one of the best pizza joints this side of Italy.  Its called the Hideaway Pizza.  Awesome pizza!  I ordered the Little Kahuna – which was olive oil & garlic base with grilled chicken, smoked bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese.  Delicious!

Learned I need to come back to Oklahoma City.  I didn’t make it to any of the museums – one of which was the Cowboy museum.  I understand the art work in this is pretty spectacular.  And I could have gone to the Federal building memorial too, but seriously – not enough time in a day to see everything.  So I will be back one day.
Now then, if the wind wasn’t howling so bad, I would be trucking down the road right this minute, as it is the rig is rocking constantly parked.  I would have gone if I only read the forecast for today, but the reality of it – the winds are not for RV driving. Period.  Thunderstorms are due in later today too. Its picking out the better of two evils on weather tho. I have to leave tomorrow or I won’t get out of here.  Tomorrow’s forecast is breezy, thunderstorms then the temperature bottoms out. Ice pellets, snow mix, are all in the weather for the next week.  By Friday morning, high temps will be 19º.   This is what I get for hesitating… I could have left over this past weekend, but oh no, I wanted to spend a little more time with my friends. At that time, the weeks forecast looked like storms moving in after I was leaving… wrong.