Snow

It's snowing in Atlanta for the 2nd time this year. Its so beautiful but it makes me so miserable. I don't hate snow, I just hate the weather that comes along with it. Wind, freezing temperatures. Plus, its March 2 here...no snow in March. This just reminds me of how depressed I would get when we lived in Minnesota and it would snow 6 feet in mid-March. Or how when it was Easter there was sometimes snow...contrary to all I grew up with in Texas, that's for sure.

This has been one long nasty winter. Perhaps I have just re-adjusted to the wonderful balmy weather of the south. Perhaps as I get older (I know I promised not to use that phrase or word) I just can't tolerate it too well.

I was in Bogota February 16-19. Very productive trip. Working with a new partner - INPlazados. They are a wonderful organization of young Bogotanos who are completely committed to working with Yo Mujer and to helping solve some of the issues of the desplazados. It's so awesome. I'm so excited. Trying to write about that trip as well...check out the Mango Tree Foundation website - www.mangotreefoundation.org. Maybe sometime soon I will be able to put something on that website. If you're a MTF fan, look for a newsletter, soon.

My dog has gone absolutely crazy these days. She is getting older - her ears and eyes are not so good. Her hips work because she has good puppy drugs. Every morning she has decided it is her responsibility to wake us up. By 730 she is in full tilt barking mode. And, she won't stop until we get up and come get her. Sometimes there are puppy surprises in her room, sometimes there aren't. I take her out, every day, just like I always have and it seems like she is forgetting what she is supposed to be doing!!! She will walk in the house after a nice walk and leave little puppy surprises all the way down the hall. Fortunately, it's manageable. Helps that we don't have carpet anymore downstairs. That way, it's just a wipe and a spray of some kind of cleanser. While I do think her quality of life may be slipping, she seems so happy.

I am doing some serious thinking about the food we eat around here. Both Tim and I have put on some weight. Part of it is our lifestyles are so centered around working and being on the computer. Part of it is that we have been trading injuries lately. His back, my foot, his back, my shoulder, his shoulder, my back. It seems to be nonstop. I have really been out of things since early January - my foot was such a mess. Knock on wood, but I think the worst is over. I went to physical therapy with an amazing therapist(Karen Davis Warren), increasing massages (from one every six months to one a month!), got orthotics, got new orthopedic (Darren Newfield), got new shoes and basically quit doing anything "ballistic." And anything "ballistic" includes walking, tennis...all those things that I enjoy doing. So, I have gone back to the gym - lifting weights, cycling, yoga...hopefully figuring this out. I did get to play tennis last night - for an hour only. It felt good - I didn't do a lot of running...but it was nice to hit the ball.

Okay, so I got a little distracted...there's been a lot of talk lately about the quality of the food we eat, we, not just me and my family but the world. A very good friend of mine has been posting on Facebook Michael Pollan's "Food Rules." They are so sensible, and are a great way to try to change or diets. I get frustrated with the "organic" rules...how are we sure that what we're buying is really organic an that it's not just a marketing ploy. I feel like so much of what we hear in the news, read in the paper, etc is just marketing. I have gone back to reread a book I first read when I was 18 and the doctor first detected an irregular heart rhythm..."Diet for a Small Planet." It's an interesting read - plant based diets. Then I went to Borders to investigate some current literature..."The Omnivore's Dilemma," "Animal Vegetable Miracle" - both managed to find their way into my hands and up to the checkout counter. While I havent had the chance to read them yet, it's just a matter of time. (In fact, I expect to get a lot of reading done over the next month because I will be traveling some - planes are a great place to read.) If you're looking for some interesting reading, I suggest you check out Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver and Frances Moore Lappe. I don't think you will be disappointed. Plus, the big movie for foodies these days is "Food, Inc." I'm nervous about watching that - not really sure I want to know how my food comes about but I'm certain that I must watch because I need to know how my food comes about. Anyway, food for thought!

Haha - winter storm warning in Atlanta - 1-5" of snow. Crazy, so crazy.