In The News

Bruno Goofing Around With Balloons















Carb-cutting Enzyme Stopped By Bean Extract, Endocrinologists Say

April 1, 2007 — UCLA researchers have found an extract in white kidney beans may help the body stop carbs from breaking down into sugars. A digestive enzyme in the body normally acts like scissors, literally cutting starches into little sugars. Phase 2 stops the enzyme from cutting, so the starches stay in the body as long fibers and are burned off quicker. Patients in the clinical studies who took Phase 2 lost body fat, not lean muscle.

Americans are getting fatter. In fact, more than 60 percent are overweight and 18 million have type 2 diabetes. It's an epidemic that's becoming more of a problem with each passing year. Now, a new discovery could help you shed those dangerous pounds and live a healthier life.

Pastas ... breads ... cereals ... We know them well. And doctors say it's carbs like these that are making us fat.


Read More.

On the personal front, I don't know if I'm coming down with something or I'm just overworked. I'm aching all over and it's not the good kind of ache you get from working out. I've been spending a lot more time outside because Jerry's out of town and I'm doing his outside chores. So I'm breathing in a lot more allergens and my Claritin isn't cutting it. I may have to stack Benedryl on top of it and I hate to as that makes me drousy.

Regardless, the weekend looks to be chores, chores, chores. I've got over 30 trees and the garden to water, three litter boxes to clean, a dog run to clean, laundry, dishes, and I have to tackle Bruno's room. Bruno's room is like a Toys-R-Us after someone set a bomb off. Every few weeks I clean it and put everything away. Then a few weeks later "Whammo!" It explodes again. Bruno cannot find his Indiana Jones Lego person so we're in crisis mode. I need to don my radiation suit and go in...

Wayward Weekend

My Guys


















It was one of those weekend's when nothing went as planned. You know, the kind of weekend that makes Monday morning look good.

It started out innocently enough. The weather was warm and Spring time made itself known with growing grass, buds on our apple tree, and wild flowers popping up in the desert. Saturday rolled by sweetly enough, I got all the laundry done, and even managed some reading. The evening came quietly enough.

Then Jerry went on Craig's List.

We've had good luck with Craig's List in the past. Bargains we found included my horse, our dog Dee Dee, and my Ford Club Wagon. Well, Jerry finally uncovered one of the flakes lurking out there in the choppy waters of the web. Some guy listed a play gym on Craig's List for free. It was big, all wood, included a climbing wall, and almost new but had blown over in one of our big windstorms and received minor damage. The people collected insurance money for a replacement and wanted someone to take the old one away. Jerry called and set up a pick up time on Sunday. We researched the gym online (it was a Costco model) and showed it to Bruno. Big mistake. Never let the kid in on anything until it's a sure thing.

Jerry hooked our horse trailer up to his work van and off we went happily looking forward to our little outing and conquest. Well, while we were parked in front of the flakes' house waiting, the party in question calls on our cell phone and says they changed their minds. Apparently they had a big fight the night before (we had a way better Saturday night than they did!) and the wife refused to get rid of it. Looks like she wanted to pocket the insurance money and make the husband fix the broken gym. Thoughtless to say the least.

Of course Bruno burst into tears when he found out he wasn't getting the gym.

An ice cream sandwich and promises of something better after our tax return arrives helped. Jerry promised to build him a rock climbing wall better than the one on the play gym we didn't get. I spent an hour researching plans for building one and materials for a small one look like a $50 investment. And Bruno already has a swing set and play house so he's happy to just get a climbing wall.

Whew. That wasn't all that happened to make me welcome a Monday but it was certainly enough.

Wordless Wednesday?

I was going to try a wordless Wednesday but my big mouth nixed the idea. Bruno has a half day at school today and tomorrow - teachers conferences. So I'm time crunched. Here's the photos from our weekend I couldn't get up earlier due to internet connection problems...

A Day With The Boys













No Not Those Boys. These Boys...
















Bruno Invents New Uses For An Exercise Step...Now It's A Playstation Platform.

One Flu Over The Cuckoo's Nest

My, I have the common symptoms of the flu.

* Fever. Check.
* Headache Check.
* Muscle aches Check. (This may be partly DOMS from my last workout).
* Chills Not exactly. (Who can tell when feeding the horse in 29
degree weather? Yeah, I'm shivering).
* Extreme tiredness Check.
* Dry cough Check.
* Runny nose Check.
* Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, may also occur but are more common in children than adults

No. Yes? Maybe. Wait.... Argh, okay.

The good news is Bruno went to school claiming "I feel like a new kid!"

Thank God. I'm exhausted and feel like crap. I need the peace and quiet so I can die in peace and quiet.

In other news, last night I was letting the cats out and Dee Dee ran out the back door. This isn't such a bad thing in broad daylight but it was pitch black out. To make matters worse the back porch light is out. Not that it would help much past the back deck. Our property is fenced but the back is mostly livestock fencing and a dog could find a way out eventually. Our front courtyard slash dog run is 6 foot high chain link and fairly doggy proof. But the perimeter fence is intended to keep in horses (and has failed at that a time or two).

So Bruno and I got on shoes and coats and grabbed flashlights and went out the back after her. Jerry went out the front but she's less responsive to him as far as letting him catch her. Though she has no problem crawling in his lap on the couch! She managed to run around the "back forty" and then the horse corral before we rounded her up. Workout after dark anyone?

At first I couldn't see my horse, Fury, anywhere and thought, "Oh S#!t, Fury got out!" But she was sleeping in a far dark corner of the corral and came to me when I called. I'm sure she thought we were nuts running around in the middle of the night in the cold.

The whole adventure couldn't have helped the flu thing. Bruno started hacking again then promptly fell asleep.

But Dee Dee's sleeping by me on the couch now so all is well.

Well, except me. I'm definitely unwell at the moment. Excuse me, I have to go crawl in my bed...

Bruno's Exemplary School Performance

I am claiming my parental bragging rights. Bruno won several awards for his exemplary school performance recently. We're very proud of him. Below are his awards and I'll post a video of the awards ceremony soon.

Our New Puppy Dee Dee

Jerry found a 6 month old Border Collie mix on Craig's List. If you're a regular reader you know how Jerry loves Craig's List and eBay. Her name is Dee Dee - we're already calling Sweety Dee Dee - and she's already blending into the family. At first glance I thought she had a bit of Rottweiler in her. She has that classic wide jaw and I owned a Rottweiler named Bond (Bond Oasis Princess). But I didn't say anything. I'm not an expert on Collies. But hey, that jaw is landmark and she has Rotty markings.

At first she kept following Bruno everywhere and was eying me warily (Jerry was in his office). So I shared a few bites of sirloin steak with her and now she keeps coming up and sniffing my hand. Gives a 'love at first bite' new meaning, hey.

Like our 16 year old dog Junior, she has a past history of abuse and is a little skiddish but that should make her exceptionally qualified for our household. Junior has changed a great deal in the three years we've had him. At first he was scared to death of the water hoses and insecure if left alone. For over a year I took him with me almost everywhere. Now he's all right with staying home alone a few hours. He's more secure and relaxed now - okay spoiled. The whole family is spoiled.

The cutest event yet, the second time we took her out to the front dog run Junior was napping in one of the front storage sheds and she couldn't see him. Jerry said she looked upset until she found him and woke him up. Then her tail was wagging a mile a minute. They're definitely pals already.

More puppy stories, photos, and video to come...

Breakfast at Terrible's Casino this morning. Then the ride home and Dee Dee's first walk through the front dog run. Later Bruno took her out back and ran her around. She's tuckered out now and sleeping on Bruno's bed. The last photos are of Bruno doing a new "punishment" we learned from Dee Dee's last family - a very sweet family who couldn't keep her due to having a small yard. It's holding a coin against a wall with your nose. As I predicted Bruno thinks its fun a did it for five minutes on a dare he couldn't do one minute. He laughed most of the way.



























What a sweet face!

First Snow Day of 2008

My Voodoo Doctor on my front porch. Click on any photo to enlarge.




















My Snow Man Jerry
















We received 5 inches of snow last night and more is expected tonight. Here's a photo journal of our snowy Saturday.

Unfortunately two towns away - about thirty miles from us - Fernley, Nevada is experiencing serious flooding because a levee along a canal fed by the Truckee river broke. This was after an all day rain then snow and freezing temperatures, rumor had it there was a 4.0 earthquake a half hour before the levee gave way, then that was refuted by the USGS. Now they say there really was a 4.0 earthquake just before the levee gave way. Gopher or rat holes that were burrowed into the earthen levee has also been indicted! They apparently undermine the levee and this was also a cause of a 1996 break.

I've crossed that canal dozens of times since moving here in 1989. It's right on highway 95A which is our main route to Interstate 80, a main US artery. Which by the way was closed last night from Stateline to Auburn, CA, a huge chunk of highway, because of a record snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains and here in Northern Nevada. The flooding brings back bad memories for me as I was in the 1986 flood in Olivehurst / Linda California. It's kind of an emotional time for us. Our neighbors in Fernley are in our prayers.

By the way, I've turned Comments back on since the busy holidays are over.

I caught Fury in this pic just as she had rolled in the snow. Crazy horse.


















Here she is after she got up, all snowy and happy to be in a nice warm blanket I'm sure. With snow on her face she looked like a raccoon. I brushed it off for her.