Archive for ‘January, 2013’

North shore Flathead Lake

The North shore of Flathead Lake.

It was 40F and raining. What looks like shallow water is snow melt turned to ice over sand.

The entire area will be covered with water when they allow the lake to rise in the spring, but right now, the lake is about 100 yards out.

The sand has been snow covered, but 2 days and nights above freezing and a little rain took care of that.

But, we had a good walk.

Happy Bear!

Today is week 8 post-op – hard to believe! Due to scheduling conflicts we could not get an appointment for radiograph and checkup until next Thursday at week 9. We continue on leash which is just as well considering the ice and snow and walking conditions.

Between storms

Today’s Winter Weather Advisory for a potential powerful Winter storm was scaled down and broken in two. NOAA reported that the models changed from one storm to two “events” with a break in between.

They were right about the break. The sun came out this morning. It was in and out but mostly out all day and lots of blue sky overhead.

Bob enjoyed the sun in his own way.

Some like it hot, in the cold

I don’t know if Bob is a native Montanan, but he is certainly no wimpy cat about cold and snow!

He usually draws the line when the temp drops below 10F, but it hasn’t been that cold all Winter. He has been out for at least a short while every day.

Today, the temperature drifted around the freezing mark with occasional snow squalls and wind as a Winter storm started making itself known.

But the dryer was going … Monday is laundry day :) !

I’ve had his bed inside but with the dryer going, he insisted he wanted to be out there and when Bob insists, it takes a stronger person than I to resist…I put the bed under the dryer vent.

He also made a foray through the snow to the garage…

… around it and the woodpile and back again.

And then warmed up in the sauna-like air from the dryer.

Options

I like options. I like to choose…most of the time. I will admit there have been times when I have wished that a decision was made for me or at the very least direction from the universe written on a blackboard in my head…something like that. But most of the time I am grateful that I get to choose.

I am not a New Year’s resolution maker but I saw an article in Prevention Magazine about a detox plan. Not the kind of detox the word probably brings to mind, but the suggestion of a 10 day eating plan with lots of color: colorful fruits and vegetables primarily. A plan to recover from holiday excesses with good, whole food.

I eat almost no processed food and while I have no intention of going vegetarian/vegan nor eliminating any food entirely, I do know that over the holidays I was making more dough and a few more sweets and drinking more alcohol. I think with the way I needed to take care of Bear, I increased excercise so I didn’t gain weight but I have been carrying more than I’d like and more than feels good for several years.

So…I seriously decreased alcohol, bread and sugar and I increased both quantity and variety of fruit and vegetables. Over the past year, I have gradually decreased the amount of meat I eat as I’ve added protein with a variety of nuts, seeds and beans. I enjoy the variety and the options.

Which brings me to Friday night…pizza night…pizza on the grill night.

Actually, I had a pizza night earlier in the week. I had seen a recipe for a cauliflower pizza crust and wanted to try it. That midweek pizza I made in the oven on a baking sheet per the recipe. (I did add 1-2 T of masa harina as I “riced” my cauliflower after blanching it and it seemed a bit moist)

But for Friday night pizza on the grill…and because the midweek pizza was very good…I tried the cauliflower crust on the grill.

My midweek pizza was fairly traditional. Tomato sauce, ground beef, onions and kalmata olives. But for Friday night, I went with a white sauce made with yogurt, goat cheese and chives – a sour cream/cream cheese substitute (option!). A light layer of shaved mozzerella with salmon, onion and capers for topping.

The cauliflower crust bakes with no toppings for 15-20 minutes.

Sauce, cheese and toppings are added at the end and given just enough time to melt the cheese so I warmed the toppings in a pan before adding.

The crust does not taste like cauliflower. It doesn’t taste exactly like a dough crust either, but especially on the grill…nice and crisp -a good flavor and overall a good option for dough pizza. I was very pleasantly surprised.

And…another salmon option. I love sockeye salmon and can usually get beautiful Alaskan salmon locally, but I’ve been buying canned salmon lately as it is part of what I feed both Bob and Bear. An entire can of salmon is more than any of us need but a can splits between us beautifully.

I have been making my portion into patties adding some cooked quinoa, fresh chives, scallion, an egg and just enough masa harina to hold it all together. The masa gives the salmon patties a fritter like flavor and texture and they go well with a little of the cashew red pepper “cheese” sauce. ( Cooking with Cashews)

Another option :) !!

Sunday morning – this morning. The kolache dough in the freezer was calling me. A sweet roll was calling me. I had roast hazelnuts and the thought of making hazelnut paste to go in a kolache dough sweet roll ala my Christmas morning sweet roll.

There is a lot of sugar in the hazelnut paste.

Earlier this week when my mother and I were talking about the bars I made with dates, she said she’d send me the family recipe for date nut bread pudding.

Hmmm…

Instead of the sugar-egg white-hazelnut paste, I whizzed dates and the roast hazelnuts together and made a date-nut paste. Dates naturally have a lot of sugar but at least it is unrefined and they also have a lot of fiber and some good vitamins and minerals.

Options!

Sunday breakfast.

I like options.

Perspective is a good thing too – and it goes with options.

It is gray and warmish and slushy and damp. My choice today is to see the gray weather with the perspective that it is a good day to cozy up inside in front of the fire.

Options.

**3 weeks on the “color” detox and I’ve lost some weight, sleeping MUCH better, more energy – I feel good! I am not counting anything, just eating more of the best things I was eating and a lot less of the things that are not top of the nutritional heap :)

Starting the 8th week

The weather guessers were correct…last night there was a weather disturbance.

I was up uncharacteristically late last evening. Bear and I had our last walk at … *GASP* … 9:45 p.m.!! It was precipitating a kind of hard snow – fast and furious – pellet-like in nature. There was enough fallen to cover our 5:00 tracks.

I woke to a temperature of 34F, not much more snow and the dripping of melting runoff from the roof.

Midday, the sun and blue sky surprised me. I made a mad dash to town – stopping for a walk and garbage run and then a grab of some supplies. Forecast for the weekend looks marginal and I favored a mid-week dry road run. Town was a mess! As in, why weren’t all those people at work??? But needed items were acquired and we headed home.

The sun was shining in the yard and I intended another two hours of work and then…and THEN…some time in the chair with Bear…on Beardog Point.

It was loverly.

Bear has been limping a bit on his non-surgery leg, so we have been taking things extra easy and some time in the yard in the sunshine was just the ticket for both of us. I did not distract by trying to take photos – just enjoyed the sun and quiet and fresh air that had a warmth and softness that felt like Spring.

But, that chair. That is where I sat – for the first time since Bear’s surgery. Bear was laying – a little distance in front of me…watching the game trail, smelling the air, listening. Just like we like.

Today, is the start of week 8 post op. Schedules of the surgeon and Dr. Calm are proving a bit difficult to coordinate so I think we will not have our 8 week post op appointment until week 9 or 10, but it is good to be in the 8th week.

And the moon is nearing full and it is beautiful in a clear Montana sky as we start the 8th week.

Inversion’s end

A weather disturbance is forecast for tonight. If all goes as forecast, it will end the inversion, scrub the valley air and the freezing fog will be gone.

Bear and I went to the wild fowl area to walk in the fog and sunshine before things change.

I like the road through the Ponderosa Pines.

To the right of the road, the trees and frost and fog…mysterious, close, beautiful.

At the end of the road, the lowered level of the lake – dry lake bed – if Bear could run he would have a grand time. Still…plenty to smell and explore and look at.

Returning to the Jeep, I took a last look and a deep breath of the cold, moist air.

And we headed for home.

As the inversion breaks, the sky at my house clouded up. But inside, sleeping boys – they are my sunshine.