Go Daddy!

That be my step-Daddy, Bill. He is going FAST! He and my Mama both race NASTAR:

NASTAR (an acronym for NAtional STAndard Race) is the world’s largest known recreational ski and snowboard race program. It allows ski or snowboard racers of all ages and abilities, through a handicap system, a way to compare themselves with one another and with the national champion, regardless of when and where they race. Since the program’s beginning in 1968, more than 6 million NASTAR racer days have been recorded. It has been available at more than 100 ski resorts in North America. Many U.S. Ski Team stars got their start ski racing in NASTAR programs.

Hoo…I say HOO-RAH!!! to my folks :) !! They ski nearly every day at Wolf Creek in Colorado. They attend race clinics. They ski fast and well. They have a jar(s) full of NASTAR Gold and Platinum medals. Hee..!

These photos…my Mama took them. It is no easy task. She positioned herself at the course finish line and waited. Action shots are difficult…

Perfect shot, Mama!

Go Daddy!

A good day

I can’t believe it is February 1!

A lovely day here but I didn’t get much work done. I did get to town for some supplies.

At the grocery, I checked out in Rachel’s line…she is my favorite checker…20 something Blackfoot Indian. She has a wonderful warmth and charm and is always interested in what I’m buying and we talk food and recipes.

A couple of years ago, seeing me buy cinnamon sticks in the regular spice jars, she took me to the bulk bins in the natural food section and showed me all the spices and the price advantages. I had never bothered to look.

Today, the bagger person/young man got in on the food conversation. He is very knowledgeable and I let him take my stuff to the car (they always offer) so we could continue. His step-father is a wheat farmer in eastern MT. He feels as I do about the GMO stuff and having worked with it and the seed has a unique (to me) perspective. He said the stuff (gmo seed and all involved with it) is “poison” – they wore haz mat suits for planting!

He was talking as he was putting stuff in the Jeep and then he turned to me and said “Your dog is so beautiful. May I pet him?”. So, I wanted to adopt the kid/young man.

On the way home…

…a favorite group of buildings in the foreground, Big Mountain in the background – lit by sunshine!

A red, red barn in sunshine against the gray of snow in the mountains.

Flathead River from the bridge on the Somers cuttoff (Hwy 82) – another favorite view…and today no traffic so I could stop on the bridge and take this photo.

I came home feeling so good and after unloading took Bear out and we sat in the sunshine for a bit and then walked in the woods before coming in.

This morning…

It still seems like a miracle. It still fills me with Joy – that from how we started, here we are.

It is dusk. It is Friday evening. It was a good day.

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 :)