Gardening the Garden

Getting into salad!

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:26 +0000

Question:

Salad is our starter at dinner every night and I am discovering lots of new fun stuff that I had not tried before. Chives- I did not know that I liked these things, because restaurants always put them on potatoes and I do not like my potatoes with other stuff on them. But now I put them on my salad and they are great. Cilantro- I love this stuff- when I am out in the garden I will just pick it and eat it! I grow my own lettuce (not iceberg- lots of different varieties.) Our salad usually has Romaine, red leaf, Bibb, and endive (bitter to the mouth, sweet to the stomach) and whatever we fancy from the daily harvest (I grow about 15 different lettuces.) Today we have Romaine, Rouge d’hiver, green ice, year round bibb, Batavian endive, redina, and buttercrunch. We also have baby carrots, celery, green pepper, canned black beans, and salad shrimp. The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! 204/157/150

Response:

A friend of mine makes a salad with romaine lettuce, strawberries, almonds, and a poppy seed dressing. it is very light and great for summer!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Salad is our starter at dinner every night and I am discovering lots of new fun stuff that I had not tried before. Chives- I did not know that I liked these things, because restaurants always put them on potatoes and I do not like my potatoes with other stuff on them. But now I put them on my salad and they are great. Cilantro- I love this stuff- when I am out in the garden I will just pick it and eat it! I grow my own lettuce (not iceberg- lots of different varieties.) Our salad usually has Romaine, red leaf, Bibb, and endive (bitter to the mouth, sweet to the stomach) and whatever we fancy from the daily harvest (I grow about 15 different lettuces.) Today we have Romaine, Rouge d’hiver, green ice, year round bibb, Batavian endive, redina, and buttercrunch. We also have baby carrots, celery, green pepper, canned black beans, and salad shrimp. The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! 204/157/150

Response:

The one thing I love about summer….the produce! And now that I have a garden with lettuce growing by leaps and bounds makes it even better! To walk outside, break off a bunch of crunchy leaves…how much fresher (a word?) can one get? Soon there will be maters, pole beans, peppers, brussel sprouts and cucumbers! Next year, an herb garden on my back deck…can’t wait! Oh, and I love cilantro, too! — Lisa B. 243/175/145 "I told you that we could fly… cause we all have wings, but some of us don’t why." – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Salad is our starter at dinner every night and I am discovering lots of new fun stuff that I had not tried before. Chives- I did not know that I liked these things, because restaurants always put them on potatoes and I do not like my potatoes with other stuff on them. But now I put them on my salad and they are great. Cilantro- I love this stuff- when I am out in the garden I will just pick it and eat it! I grow my own lettuce (not iceberg- lots of different varieties.) Our salad usually has Romaine, red leaf, Bibb, and endive (bitter to the mouth, sweet to the stomach) and whatever we fancy from the daily harvest (I grow about 15 different lettuces.) Today we have Romaine, Rouge d’hiver, green ice, year round bibb, Batavian endive, redina, and buttercrunch. We also have baby carrots, celery, green pepper, canned black beans, and salad shrimp. The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! 204/157/150

Response:

Z&T: I don’t know if you like this but you can mix in some low fat or fat free sour cream or cottage cheese in with the blue cheese dressing to stretch it. I have one of those hand blenders that you can put into a cup and puree and it makes a wonderful dressing when mixed in with "forbidden dressings". I like cottage cheese and sour cream and plain yogurt too so if you don’t it may not be for you. Blue cheese is strong in taste so it may ovepower the others and still taste as strong. Even using real Blue Cheese might be better pureed in with the low fat dairies above …I also throw in some spices- I am a spice lover so you may not prefer this. I think that is great that you grow so many varieties of lettuce- the bunnies around our area would have a feast on my garden if I did this!! I have also seen people make some interesting dips out of diff varieties of beans -no fat or sugars but great protein additive. I wonder if you could get creative and mix an interesting dressing concoction up with them and a dressing?? Just a thought…could end up being either delicious or nauseating!! Ok ,I am now rambling!! :} peggy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Salad is our starter at dinner every night and I am discovering lots of new fun stuff that I had not tried before. Chives- I did not know that I liked these things, because restaurants always put them on potatoes and I do not like my potatoes with other stuff on them. But now I put them on my salad and they are great. Cilantro- I love this stuff- when I am out in the garden I will just pick it and eat it! I grow my own lettuce (not iceberg- lots of different varieties.) Our salad usually has Romaine, red leaf, Bibb, and endive (bitter to the mouth, sweet to the stomach) and whatever we fancy from the daily harvest (I grow about 15 different lettuces.) Today we have Romaine, Rouge d’hiver, green ice, year round bibb, Batavian endive, redina, and buttercrunch. We also have baby carrots, celery, green pepper, canned black beans, and salad shrimp. The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! 204/157/150

Response:

We eat a lot of salads, too, and I agree that the low fat dressings aren’t worth it. I tend to like oil and vinegar dressings as I’m allergic to blue cheese:( I invested in a really good cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. The taste is so amazing that I only need to use a teaspoon or two. Since I’ve worked it onto my WOE I really look forward to my salads. — Kello 160/154/130 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Salad is our starter at dinner every night and I am discovering lots of new fun stuff that I had not tried before. Chives- I did not know that I liked these things, because restaurants always put them on potatoes and I do not like my potatoes with other stuff on them. But now I put them on my salad and they are great. Cilantro- I love this stuff- when I am out in the garden I will just pick it and eat it! I grow my own lettuce (not iceberg- lots of different varieties.) Our salad usually has Romaine, red leaf, Bibb, and endive (bitter to the mouth, sweet to the stomach) and whatever we fancy from the daily harvest (I grow about 15 different lettuces.) Today we have Romaine, Rouge d’hiver, green ice, year round bibb, Batavian endive, redina, and buttercrunch. We also have baby carrots, celery, green pepper, canned black beans, and salad shrimp. The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! 204/157/150

Response:

The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health!

Hi Trillian! I came to the conclusion when I started this WOE that I wasn’t going to freak about "real" salad dressings. You’re right, there’s so much sugar in the low- fat and low-cal versions, and all they do is overwhelm the vegetables and don’t really make you feel satisfied with them. (Granted, I hate salad, so this wasn’t a bad thing, but still….) I eat really low fat the rest of my day, so a measured use of the real stuff is not going to destroy me. Sometimes, I even (GASP!!!) use BUTTER on bread!!!!!! The scandal!!!! — –jd …http://www.angelfire.com/journal/jdbwwedding/journal/journal.html…

Response:

You are making me hungry for a salad! I have an idea for one, does anyone know what would make this salad perfect? Spinach Grapefruit Fresh Mushrooms Olive Oil There’s just something about that combination that sounds good so I picked up the ingredients the other day. Chrissy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Salad is our starter at dinner every night and I am discovering lots of new fun stuff that I had not tried before. Chives- I did not know that I liked these things, because restaurants always put them on potatoes and I do not like my potatoes with other stuff on them. But now I put them on my salad and they are great. Cilantro- I love this stuff- when I am out in the garden I will just pick it and eat it! I grow my own lettuce (not iceberg- lots of different varieties.) Our salad usually has Romaine, red leaf, Bibb, and endive (bitter to the mouth, sweet to the stomach) and whatever we fancy from the daily harvest (I grow about 15 different lettuces.) Today we have Romaine, Rouge d’hiver, green ice, year round bibb, Batavian endive, redina, and buttercrunch. We also have baby carrots, celery, green pepper, canned black beans, and salad shrimp. The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! 204/157/150

Response:

Salads are wonderful! Grilled chicken salad is a real favorite of mine – I could practically eat it every day! Coleslaw is delicious and healthy too. My favorite dressing for this is very simple – just 2 parts orange juice concentrate, 1 part oil and 1 part honey. You don’t need much, and it’s very light, refreshing and citrus-y. Cheryl 350/316/Health! New WOE/WOL began 6/6/2000 "Only dogs chase sticks and dig bones…"

Response:

Hey Trillian, Damn straight chives are good on salads… but here’s a tip, the flowers are also edible! So when you really want to have fun and the chives are blooming, sprinkle on some chive flowers as well. My garlic chives have cute little white ones. Nasturtium leaves can add a peppery taste (pick ‘em young) and those flowers are edible as well. There are others, so have fun. Baby green beans are real nice on salads too! Cynthia

Response:

Depends on the low fat dressings! I’ve had some absolutely delicious ones… as good or better than the regular and not all of them have a load of sugar either. Look around, especially places other than the local supermarket. Pier One used to have some good ones. I use both low fat and regular dressings, depending on my mood. Cynthia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We eat a lot of salads, too, and I agree that the low fat dressings aren’t worth it. I tend to like oil and vinegar dressings as I’m allergic to blue cheese:( I invested in a really good cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. The taste is so amazing that I only need to use a teaspoon or two. Since I’ve worked it onto my WOE I really look forward to my salads. — Kello 160/154/130

Response:

So is steamed asparagus! I love to mix crab meat, celery, onion, and asparagus with a sweet sour dressing and serve on a bed of butter crunch lettuce , Yum. Mushrooms, asparagus and cheddar cheese marinated overnight in an herb vinaigrette is really good too. — Claudia, Internet Weight Loss Consultant, Diabetes Educator and Author 615/383/157 Chat with me on diabetes Mon-Fri 10-12 PT and on weight loss Fridays 2-4 PT at PlanetRx.com Tipletter Writer for Dieting CyberTip4theDay Subscribe today: http://www.CyberTip4theDay.com For hundreds of free low-fat recipes and info visit Claudia’s Corner http://dietchef.ecorp.net

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Trillian, Damn straight chives are good on salads… but here’s a tip, the flowers are also edible! So when you really want to have fun and the chives are blooming, sprinkle on some chive flowers as well. My garlic chives have cute little white ones. Nasturtium leaves can add a peppery taste (pick ‘em young) and those flowers are edible as well. There are others, so have fun. Baby green beans are real nice on salads too! Cynthia

Response:

I’m not a cook, but somehow raspberry vinegar and some toasted walnuts sound real like real good additions to me. Dang, now I may have to go get some! Cynthia

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You are making me hungry for a salad! I have an idea for one, does anyone know what would make this salad perfect? Spinach Grapefruit Fresh Mushrooms Olive Oil There’s just something about that combination that sounds good so I picked up the ingredients the other day. Chrissy

Response:

Try it with toasted pecans also. Yum! Also strawberry vinegar! — Claudia, Internet Weight Loss Consultant, Diabetes Educator and Author 615/383/157 Chat with me on diabetes Mon-Fri 10-12 PT and on weight loss Fridays 2-4 PT at PlanetRx.com Tipletter Writer for Dieting CyberTip4theDay Subscribe today: http://www.CyberTip4theDay.com For hundreds of free low-fat recipes and info visit Claudia’s Corner http://dietchef.ecorp.net

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not a cook, but somehow raspberry vinegar and some toasted walnuts sound real like real good additions to me. Dang, now I may have to go get some! Cynthia You are making me hungry for a salad! I have an idea for one, does anyone know what would make this salad perfect? Spinach Grapefruit Fresh Mushrooms Olive Oil There’s just something about that combination that sounds good so I picked up the ingredients the other day. Chrissy

Response:

I have masses of edible flowers- love ‘em! Borage is one of my favorites- it has pink and blue flowers on the same plant and they are lovely in salad or in iced teas or whatever. Beets from the garden are great in salads too! -Trillian – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Trillian, Damn straight chives are good on salads… but here’s a tip, the flowers are also edible! So when you really want to have fun and the chives are blooming, sprinkle on some chive flowers as well. My garlic chives have cute little white ones. Nasturtium leaves can add a peppery taste (pick ‘em young) and those flowers are edible as well. There are others, so have fun. Baby green beans are real nice on salads too! Cynthia

Response:

Thanks for the reminder! I can’t believe I forgot how good lightly steamed asparagus is on salad! Cynthia

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So is steamed asparagus! I love to mix crab meat, celery, onion, and asparagus with a sweet sour dressing and serve on a bed of butter crunch lettuce , Yum. Mushrooms, asparagus and cheddar cheese marinated overnight in an herb vinaigrette is really good too. — Claudia, Internet Weight Loss Consultant, Diabetes Educator and Author 615/383/157 Chat with me on diabetes Mon-Fri 10-12 PT and on weight loss Fridays 2-4 PT at PlanetRx.com Tipletter Writer for Dieting CyberTip4theDay Subscribe today: http://www.CyberTip4theDay.com For hundreds of free low-fat recipes and info visit Claudia’s Corner http://dietchef.ecorp.net

Response:

I like borage too, we used to have it cropping up all over here, but my landlady got rid of it all. I may have to plant some }-) I used to love the blue flowers in my salads. I am happy, except for one small section, my garden is weeded. It sure got neglected with all the stuff going on this spring. Next project, dig the beds and plant! I may not get much of a harvest this year, but I’ll get some! Cynthia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have masses of edible flowers- love ‘em! Borage is one of my favorites- it has pink and blue flowers on the same plant and they are lovely in salad or in iced teas or whatever. Beets from the garden are great in salads too! -Trillian

Response:

I do not know where you are, but if you are going to have lettuce, I highly recommend an heirloom variety called Rouge d’Hiver (red of winter). That is the only lettuce other than the Paris Island Cos and year-round Bibb that have made it through our winters. I let them go to seed, save the seed in junk mail envelopes, then shake off the excess around the garden for volunteers. I always have volunteer lettuce early in spring. Gardening is in the genes in my family- my grandfather and two uncles were professional gardeners and all my aunts and cousins and sister have gardens. Statistically, people with gardens live longer! -Trillian – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I like borage too, we used to have it cropping up all over here, but my landlady got rid of it all. I may have to plant some }-) I used to love the blue flowers in my salads. I am happy, except for one small section, my garden is weeded. It sure got neglected with all the stuff going on this spring. Next project, dig the beds and plant! I may not get much of a harvest this year, but I’ll get some! Cynthia I have masses of edible flowers- love ‘em! Borage is one of my favorites- it has pink and blue flowers on the same plant and they are lovely in salad or in iced teas or whatever. Beets from the garden are great in salads too! -Trillian

Response:

In my old WW days, they taught us to take the dressing on the side, and rather than pouring it on the salad, dip a fork into the dressing before spearing the lettuce or whatever. It stretches the dressing so much further. Those commercial fat-free things are dreadful, and a definite no-no for lowcarbers because of all the sugar. As for the butter, jd, I keep reading that it’s much better for you than margerine, so enjoy it! Cheers, Kay – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The dressing is something that I have spent a long time evaluating, and it turns out that low cal and low fat dressings add sugar to replace fat. I do not tolerate sugar well, so I carefully measure 2 teaspoons of a real Blue cheese dressing that is 75 calories per tablespoon. 2 teaspoons is 50 calories. This is of course not going to cover the huge salad, so I use the juice from the canned beans to stretch it out. Salad is a wonderful way to start dinner! It is pleasing to the eye, the mouth, and the overall health! Hi Trillian! I came to the conclusion when I started this WOE that I wasn’t going to freak about "real" salad dressings. You’re right, there’s so much sugar in the low- fat and low-cal versions, and all they do is overwhelm the vegetables and don’t really make you feel satisfied with them. (Granted, I hate salad, so this wasn’t a bad thing, but still….) I eat really low fat the rest of my day, so a measured use of the real stuff is not going to destroy me. Sometimes, I even (GASP!!!) use BUTTER on bread!!!!!! The scandal!!!!

Kay 232/144/<140 (lowcarb since 98/12/26) D2K Everest: 5245/11298 feet, Base Camp to Summit

Response:

Kay, that CAN work, but it often doesn’t. I worked in a restaurant and the people who ordered the salad dressing "on-the-side" usually at at least twice as much dressing than the ones which allowed us to put it on their salad. So either way, there is a risk of over-doing it. One thing I like is balsamic vinegar, you don’t need much to add a lot of zest, and I found I don’t even need any oil. You’ll find balsamic vinegar in Italian grocery stores. Jude 270/195/satisfied — - Coming Soon – BestOrgs.NET Oak Park, IL 708-848-0134 URL: http://www.pobox.com/~jcrouch

Response:

Winter is not much of a problem, we almost never get a freeze. Getting sun is a different matter… I’m in the Bay Area, CA. I might look for the variety though. I often grow Red Sails and love that. Heck, getting sun in summer can be difficult! As I write, it’s totally overcast and cold enough to put two layers on… Cynthia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I do not know where you are, but if you are going to have lettuce, I highly recommend an heirloom variety called Rouge d’Hiver (red of winter). That is the only lettuce other than the Paris Island Cos and year-round Bibb that have made it through our winters. I let them go to seed, save the seed in junk mail envelopes, then shake off the excess around the garden for volunteers. I always have volunteer lettuce early in spring. Gardening is in the genes in my family- my grandfather and two uncles were professional gardeners and all my aunts and cousins and sister have gardens. Statistically, people with gardens live longer! -Trillian

Response:

RANT! Fat People Belong In A Gym!!

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:24 +0000

Question:

I get so sick to death of seeing some members stare and laugh at the really FAT people in my gym. It makes me furious and it hurts my feelings for the truly obese people I see trying so hard. Today is not the first time I have seen and heard people snickering at this one lady who goes to my gym. Honestly, she weighs 400 pounds, if she weighs an ounce, and she doesn’t look to be more than 5 feet tall. But I see her at the gym *Every Single Day* that I am there too. She warms up for 5-10 minutes on whatever cardio machine strikes her fancy that day, and then she does weights. I’ve been watching this woman. One day she does back and biceps – 2 or 3 different exercises for each. The next day she does lower body work. She squats, ladies and gentlemen. She squats her little heart out. Then she works her hams and her calves, fitting in more glute work in between. The next day she does chest, shoulders, and triceps. Again, 2 or 3 exercises for each. And she doesn’t forget abs. She sprinkles that in among her routines as well. She uses some machines, but she loves the free weights. She also takes full advantage of various compound exercises like pull-ups. She can make that assisted pull-up machine SING. She varies her routine, too. Does this and that sometimes, but makes sure to hit her basic muscle groups at least twice a week. After her weights, she always goes back to cardio for about 20-25 minutes or so and does intervals on it, speeding up for a while, slowing down, speeding up, etc. She must listen to some pretty jazzy music on her headphones because sometimes it looks like she’s dancing! She shows up like clockwork. She concentrates. The look on her face while she’s lifting is one of steel, and you can tell just by looking at her that her every thought is dedicated to that weight and the muscles she’s using to lift it. Today I told her what I thought of her. How I’ve been watching her and how inspiring she is to me. Well, she started to cry! Then she became very animated and told me she’s lost about 35 pounds so far but that because she is so fat, her weight loss doesn’t "show" yet. She’s on a diabetes doctor-given diet that’s working for her. She told me I’m the first person who has spoken to her since she joined a bit over 4 months ago. Okay, I freely admit that I am the world’s biggest sap, and I cried too. Then we both started to laugh because we were both crying, and it was just so fun to be with her! You know, if you are very sick, you belong at the doctor’s office or in the hospital. If you are a religious church-goer and you’re not feeling too great about yourself and you want to make things right with God, you belong in church. And if you are ignorant and uneducated and you want to learn, you belong in school. So how come if you are very fat and you want to lose weight and be strong and you go to the gym, some people giggle at you and make secret fun of you? I mean, would it be more acceptable for my new friend to be sitting in McDonalds, stuffing her face with Big Macs? Or doing a few leg lifts in the privacy of her living room because she’s too fat to be seen in a gym? Where Do These Ridiculing People Want This Woman To Go?? *Where do they think her place is?* What is wrong with this scenario? I just don’t understand this at all. I know my new friend has seen and heard people making fun of her because I’ve seen her put her head down when it happens. But she’s buried that hurt and embarrassment and has shown up everyday. She’s in her gym, where she belongs because that’s where she wants to be and that’s where she knows she needs to be. I’m sorry for this rant and for this long post. But I just despise people who make fun of other people who are trying so hard to do something so good. I cannot comprehend the pleasure derived from it. I am so proud of my new gym friend, and I’m ashamed I never talked to her before this morning. – Beckie

Response:

As I read your post, the question lingering in my mind was –"Did you say something nice to her". When I finally read that you did, I wanted to clap for joy. You may have kept her from quitting that day, or on a future day that she may think, "it’s just not worth it". God Bless You, Nika

Response:

Beckie–What a great post! People can be insensitive idiots, unfortunately. To people like that, really big folks like your friend are supposed to stay hidden from the view of their delicate eyes. At least now your new gym friend knows she has an ally there. I’m sure that will make all the difference in the world. And maybe your post will inspire others here to reach out in a similar situation, if we see someone who could use a little support. :) Mardi

Response:

AMEN to that!!! I had a teenage boy come into my gym and laugh at me as I did my daily treadmill routine. I asked him why he was laughing and didn’t just move on to another section of the gym, when he replied that "he wanted to use the treadmill and with my being so fat, he figured I’d be exhausted pretty soon and off of the treadmill before anyone else". (and I’m not anywhere NEAR 400lbs,however to a teenager you are HUGE if you’re 30lbs overweight!) I hated to break his obnoxious little heart, but I stayed on that treadmill for 1 hour and outlasted him AND the other skinny little twits on the other treadmills!!! Gyms are not just for skinny people, and skinny does not mean fit or healthy!! Amanda

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I get so sick to death of seeing some members stare and laugh at the really FAT people in my gym. It makes me furious and it hurts my feelings for the truly obese people I see trying so hard. Today is not the first time I have seen and heard people snickering at this one lady who goes to my gym. Honestly, she weighs 400 pounds, if she weighs an ounce, and she doesn’t look to be more than 5 feet tall. But I see her at the gym *Every Single Day* that I am there too. She warms up for 5-10 minutes on whatever cardio machine strikes her fancy that day, and then she does weights. I’ve been watching this woman. One day she does back and biceps – 2 or 3 different exercises for each. The next day she does lower body work. She squats, ladies and gentlemen. She squats her little heart out. Then she works her hams and her calves, fitting in more glute work in between. The next day she does chest, shoulders, and triceps. Again, 2 or 3 exercises for each. And she doesn’t forget abs. She sprinkles that in among her routines as well. She uses some machines, but she loves the free weights. She also takes full advantage of various compound exercises like pull-ups. She can make that assisted pull-up machine SING. She varies her routine, too. Does this and that sometimes, but makes sure to hit her basic muscle groups at least twice a week. After her weights, she always goes back to cardio for about 20-25 minutes or so and does intervals on it, speeding up for a while, slowing down, speeding up, etc. She must listen to some pretty jazzy music on her headphones because sometimes it looks like she’s dancing! She shows up like clockwork. She concentrates. The look on her face while she’s lifting is one of steel, and you can tell just by looking at her that her every thought is dedicated to that weight and the muscles she’s using to lift it. Today I told her what I thought of her. How I’ve been watching her and how inspiring she is to me. Well, she started to cry! Then she became very animated and told me she’s lost about 35 pounds so far but that because she is so fat, her weight loss doesn’t "show" yet. She’s on a diabetes doctor-given diet that’s working for her. She told me I’m the first person who has spoken to her since she joined a bit over 4 months ago. Okay, I freely admit that I am the world’s biggest sap, and I cried too. Then we both started to laugh because we were both crying, and it was just so fun to be with her! You know, if you are very sick, you belong at the doctor’s office or in the hospital. If you are a religious church-goer and you’re not feeling too great about yourself and you want to make things right with God, you belong in church. And if you are ignorant and uneducated and you want to learn, you belong in school. So how come if you are very fat and you want to lose weight and be strong and you go to the gym, some people giggle at you and make secret fun of you? I mean, would it be more acceptable for my new friend to be sitting in McDonalds, stuffing her face with Big Macs? Or doing a few leg lifts in the privacy of her living room because she’s too fat to be seen in a gym? Where Do These Ridiculing People Want This Woman To Go?? *Where do they think her place is?* What is wrong with this scenario? I just don’t understand this at all. I know my new friend has seen and heard people making fun of her because I’ve seen her put her head down when it happens. But she’s buried that hurt and embarrassment and has shown up everyday. She’s in her gym, where she belongs because that’s where she wants to be and that’s where she knows she needs to be. I’m sorry for this rant and for this long post. But I just despise people who make fun of other people who are trying so hard to do something so good. I cannot comprehend the pleasure derived from it. I am so proud of my new gym friend, and I’m ashamed I never talked to her before this morning. – Beckie

Response:

I’ve been at a decent weight and also have looked like I do now which personally I do not feel is very pretty. Guess there are some people that think obese people are beautiful–I’m talking outside appearance–not the inside. You are treated differently when you look good (I don’t want to say skinny as I don’t like that word–makes ya sound like your a beanpole) vs being obese. Fortunately, I don’t let it bother me–I say if you don’t like me at 240 then thats your problem at not mine. Linda is inside of me at 240 and also at 140 although I do admit I feel better about myself at 140 vs 240. I know when I worked out at a gym years ago I told my trainer that your treated differently and she said that made her so mad. I say way to go to that 400 pound woman for doing something about it and not letting other peoples snickers and stares stop her!! Linda 265/243/140

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Forgot to say (a little spacey today as forgetting everything–lol) way to go Beckie and hugs to you for talking to that woman. I bet you made her day. Linda 265/243/140

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Great post! And thing is, if an overweight person is seen eating a sundae or has some kind of dessert item in thier shopping cart, they get snickered at that, too, so it’s like they can’t win. Overweight people are the one section of society that where it’s seems it’s okay to ridicule and discriminate against. I also wonder if this person was a man, there wouldn’t be anyone snickering. — Lisa B. 243/153.5/145

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I’m lifting my glass of water to you and to your new friend. Why don’t you get to know her a bit more, find out if she has internet access. Send her our way, and we can join you in cheering her on. Melissa 140/117/115

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I know my new friend has seen and heard people making fun of her because I’ve seen her put her head down when it happens. But she’s buried that hurt and embarrassment and has shown up everyday. She’s in her gym, where she belongs because that’s where she wants to be and that’s where she knows she needs to be.

Unfortunately you can’t change others, the only thing you can do is take solace in knowing that you are not part of that minority. It is unfortunate that she (or anyone) at your gym has to pay good money to be harassed by anyone, for any reason.

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I also wonder if this person was a man, there wouldn’t be anyone snickering.

I doubt it. If anything, just a little more behind his back. ….. Bridget M. LC 7/12/2001 188/176/126

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I thought that Beckie’s post was great too. It inspired me and gave me the push I needed to post in this group, after having just settled for reading the group for about four months. I’m new to the computer world, but find it very interesting, to say the least. More to the point, I’m very new to the dieting world. I am looking forward to all tips or any dieting techniques that I can find out about. I have many questions on dieting, but I guess it might be better to wait for those. I am 46 years old, and have never needed to diet before in my whole life. I’ve always weighed approximately 110 pounds, and since I’m 5 ft 4, I’ve always been satisfied with my weight. I have 7 children, and never had any problem at all losing the pregnancy weight after the births until my last child, who was a surprise to us 6 years ago. I now have this extra 30 pounds that I just cannot seem to get rid of no matter what I do. I’m wondering if others in here think that this could merely be due to my age? Is it harder to lose weight as one gets older? Perhaps since our last child was born when I was 40, it’s going to be impossible to lose this weight? Is this common? I don’t understand it, because I never had any trouble at all getting back down to 110 pds with my other children. I never even had to diet, it just went away with my regular eating habits. I admit that I do not exercise in the way of push-ups or working out at a gym. I do walk daily though. I’m wondering if I should join a gym, but would prefer not to as I live so far out of town that I don’t know if I could make such a trip each day. Does anyone have any suggestions? I still have 4 children in the home, so it’s not like I can afford to buy alot of exercise equipment. I don’t even know how much it costs to join a gym, so I don’t know if I can afford to do that. And while I’m not 400 pounds, as was the lady Beckie posted about, I still would hate to be laughed at if I did join a gym (assuming I could make it there often, which I seriously doubt). I don’t have the personality to be able to take being laughed at, I’d probably start crying, run out and never go back at all. I’ve always lived a rather isolated lifestyle, except for family and a few close friends, so maybe I’m just overly-sensitive, but I really don’t think I could handle being laughed at. (laughed with, yes, but at, no) Collette

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I now have this extra 30 pounds that I just cannot seem to get rid of no matter what I do. I’m wondering if others in here think that this could merely be due to my age? Is it harder to lose weight as one gets older?

Yes, it does become harder to lose as you get older, partially due to hormonal changes, and partially due to the loss of metabolically active (i.e. calorie burning) lean body mass (LBM). *But* harder is not impossible. It just means you can’t rely on doing it the easy way. I admit that I do not exercise in the way of push-ups or working out at a gym. I do walk daily though. I’m wondering if I should join a gym, but would prefer not to as I live so far out of town that I don’t know if I could make such a trip each day. Does anyone have any suggestions? I still have 4 children in the home, so it’s not like I can afford to buy alot of exercise equipment.

Exercise is your first plan of attack here. Probably it’s all you need to get back down to your ideal weight, if your eating habits are good. Walking is great for starters. Suggestions: 1. Weight training. This is your best defense against fat gain and muscle loss. A gym is probably not the best way for you to start. A pair of adjustable dumbbells (2 handles, 4 collars, 4 plates each of 2.5 lbs., 5 lbs., and 10 lbs.) will cost about $50 and is a perfect apparatus for doing just about everything. If you have a sturdy coffee table, that can be a bench, or you can shop around for a second hand weight bench. 30 minutes of weight training, 3 x weekly, is ideal. And the dumbbells can be rolled under a bed or dumped in a closet for storage. Head to http://www.stumptuous.com/program.html and click on the all-dumbbell workout for routine ideas. I think the server is down at the moment, so keep checking. 2. Ramp up the intensity of your walking. What’s your walking speed: strolling, ambling, or booting it like your butt’s on fire? You should really be clipping along at around 4 mph. Do you have any hills? Try some hill walks, or stair climbs if you have any long sets of stairs. Either way, climb up, walk down, repeat. Every other day, do some more intense cardio than you’re used to. And while I’m not 400 pounds, as was the lady Beckie posted about, I still would hate to be laughed at if I did join a gym (assuming I could make it there often, which I seriously doubt). I don’t have the personality to be able to take being laughed at, I’d probably start crying, run out and never go back at all. I’ve always lived a rather isolated lifestyle, except for family and a few close friends, so maybe I’m just overly-sensitive, but I really don’t think I could handle being laughed at. (laughed with, yes, but at, no)

Nobody likes being laughed at. You sound like you live in the country. There are tons of cool ways to get exercise in the country. Gardening is awesome if you do lots of digging, wheelbarrowing, etc. I have some more ideas at http://www.stumptuous.com/noweights.html (again, give the server a little while to recover). Krista — http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html mistresskrista at home.com

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Why don’t you get to know her a bit more, find out if she has internet access. Send her our way, and we can join you in cheering her on.

I fully plan on doing this, Melissa. She would *love* this group. I did mention Krista’s site to her this morning, and she said she’d go have a look-see. She does very well with her weights routine, but you know Krista’s site has so *many* different exercises that can be tried out to chase away any boredom that might set in. Myself, I love Krista’s site especially for when I’m getting tired of my routine. I can always find something there that I haven’t tried before. – Beckie

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to her since she joined a bit over 4 months ago. Okay, I freely admit that I am the world’s biggest sap, and I cried too. Then we both started to laugh because we were both crying, and it was just so fun to be with her!

Beckie – Thank you so much for talking to her. You are a wonderful person. You made me cry too. Every time I walk into the gym I feel like I don’t belong there. When people look up and see me, I always feel like they’re laughing on the inside. Some days it makes me work harder. Other days it keeps me from going in. To have another person there would be a very conforting, and empowering thing. Thank you. Mieko

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I get so sick to death of seeing some members stare and laugh at the really FAT people in my gym. It makes me furious and it hurts my feelings for the truly obese people I see trying so hard.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I now have this extra 30 pounds that I just cannot seem to get rid of no matter what I do. I’m wondering if others in here think that this could merely be due to my age? Is it harder to lose weight as one gets older? Yes, it does become harder to lose as you get older, partially due to hormonal changes, and partially due to the loss of metabolically active (i.e. calorie burning) lean body mass (LBM). *But* harder is not impossible. It just means you can’t rely on doing it the easy way. I admit that I do not exercise in the way of push-ups or working out at a gym. I do walk daily though. I’m wondering if I should join a gym, but would prefer not to as I live so far out of town that I don’t know if I could make such a trip each day. Does anyone have any suggestions? I still have 4 children in the home, so it’s not like I can afford to buy alot of exercise equipment. Exercise is your first plan of attack here. Probably it’s all you need to get back down to your ideal weight, if your eating habits are good. Walking is great for starters. Suggestions: 1. Weight training. This is your best defense against fat gain and muscle loss. A gym is probably not the best way for you to start. A pair of adjustable dumbbells (2 handles, 4 collars, 4 plates each of 2.5 lbs., 5 lbs., and 10 lbs.) will cost about $50 and is a perfect apparatus for doing just about everything. If you have a sturdy coffee table, that can be a bench, or you can shop around for a second hand weight bench. 30 minutes of weight training, 3 x weekly, is ideal. And the dumbbells can be rolled under a bed or dumped in a closet for storage.

Will this cause me to lose weight or gain muscles? I don’t know much about dieting or exercising, and I just always assumed that lifting weights was for men and made your muscles larger. I don’t want large muscles, I want to lose weight. I suppose it sounds old-fashioned and shows my age, but doesn’t anyone jump rope or do jumping jacks anymore? Dance hard? Do the old sit-ups or knee-bends? I just simply cannot see myself lifting weights. How about jogging? Would that be better than my walking? (though I love walking, and hate running) Would any of these help or should I concentrate more on calories and fat intake? Head to http://www.stumptuous.com/program.html and click on the all-dumbbell workout for routine ideas. I think the server is down at the moment, so keep checking. 2. Ramp up the intensity of your walking. What’s your walking speed: strolling, ambling, or booting it like your butt’s on fire? You should really be clipping along at around 4 mph. Do you have any hills? Try some hill walks, or stair climbs if you have any long sets of stairs. Either way, climb up, walk down, repeat. Every other day, do some more intense cardio than you’re used to.

Actually, I must walk pretty fast, at least over 4&1/2 miles an hour. The only reason I know this is because since I walk it every day, I asked my husband one time how far I walk, and he drove it for me while checking the mileage. He said it was just alittle over 4 &1/2 miles and it takes me the same amount of time each day, which is 45 minutes. I really suck at math, but I guess that’s not just strolling? I know I that on the rare occasions I take my dog with me, I feel like I’m bored out of my mind because she goes so slow and wants to smell everything. Should I walk this same loop twice a day instead of once? I realize that exercise is helpful, but maybe I need more than that? Like calorie counting, or something. I’ve never done that, so I don’t really know if maybe just walking twice daily combined with counting calories would do the trick? Is it hard to count calories? So far, I’ve just cut back on my food intake, I haven’t ever counted actual calories. What do you think? Oh, and yes, there are hills. The loop I walk is a gravel road way up in the mountains where I live. So it’s up and down, and real curvy and winding. Up and down the stairs is something I never even thought of! I’ll try that, as surely that would burn calories rather quickly. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – And while I’m not 400 pounds, as was the lady Beckie posted about, I still would hate to be laughed at if I did join a gym (assuming I could make it there often, which I seriously doubt). I don’t have the personality to be able to take being laughed at, I’d probably start crying, run out and never go back at all. I’ve always lived a rather isolated lifestyle, except for family and a few close friends, so maybe I’m just overly-sensitive, but I really don’t think I could handle being laughed at. (laughed with, yes, but at, no) Nobody likes being laughed at. You sound like you live in the country. There are tons of cool ways to get exercise in the country. Gardening is awesome if you do lots of digging, wheelbarrowing, etc. I have some more ideas at http://www.stumptuous.com/noweights.html (again, give the server a little while to recover).

I do indeed have gardens, both vegetable and flower ones. I get alot of enjoyment out of both, but it hasn’t helped me so far to lose weight. I find that with both I mostly just end up either on my knees (flower beds) or bending over alot (veggie garden). My husband does all the tilling and digging, while I do the tending and weeding. It IS exercise, though I don’t really know if it counts? I don’t want to misrepresent myself or make it seem like I’m a do nothing. I’m very busy, nearly all the time, regardless of my isolated lifestyle. Same as always, which is why I do not understand why I can’t seem to shake this 30 pounds. I may not get out into town much, but I surely have my hands full here at home. I just don’t get it. My life hasn’t changed much, nor has my diet, in 30 some years. So why now is this baby weight still hanging on? Any ideas or thoughts are appreciated, so I thank you for responding. Collette

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[rant snipped]

Beckie, this was a wonderful, heartfelt, inspiring, great post. Thank you so much for sharing this story. I know exactly where you’re coming from. I used to belong to this upperclass gym in Switzerland where only skinny chicks with tiny tops and bulging guys in muscle shirts were ‘accepted.’ it’s disgusting. you’re a great person, Beckie. you made this a wonderful and inspiring day for your new friend, i’m sure. and you are so right about what you say. *hugs* nina

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Every time I walk into the gym I feel like I don’t belong there.

But if that’s where you want to be, then you belong there, Mieko. I wish everyone in this newsgroup belonged to one, single gym and we could all work out together. With all of us banded together, I would *dare* anyone else to look at us as if we didn’t belong. But you know, Mieko, although we are not at your gym with you, we are all waiting to hear from you here. – Beckie

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And a great rant it is. Thanks for posting this. I did the same thing to a guy who was about the same weight as your new friend. No one had ever said a word to him and I thought he was very brave to come to the gym since so many fat people find it so intimidating. I would encourage him and tell him he was making progress. It is so sad that the very people who need it the most are not welcomed and encouraged by others. It takes great courage to come into a gym when you are not the perfect size let alone 400 pounds. If you go to a gym why not compliment someone on their good effort regardless of their size. Their effort may be better than the thin person who puts on her pretty exercise clothes and just looks good. Fat people have enough to conquer without others making it harder. Thanks again for this wonderful post. Roxan

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Welcome Collette, This will allow you to maintain as much muscle as possible while losing fat. You can’t get any better advice than Mistress Krista, go to her site and read ever thing you can there. Don’t worry you can’t get huge muscles doing this, women just don’t have enough male hormones without steroids to get huge. But lifting weights will enable you to keep burning calories at a higher rate than without lifting. Roxan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Krista" I now have this extra 30 pounds that I just cannot seem to get rid of no matter what I do. I’m wondering if others in here think that this could merely be due to my age? Is it harder to lose weight as one gets older? Yes, it does become harder to lose as you get older, partially due to hormonal changes, and partially due to the loss of metabolically active (i.e. calorie burning) lean body mass (LBM). *But* harder is not impossible. It just means you can’t rely on doing it the easy way. I admit that I do not exercise in the way of push-ups or working out at a gym. I do walk daily though. I’m wondering if I should join a gym, but would prefer not to as I live so far out of town that I don’t know if I could make such a trip each day. Does anyone have any suggestions? I still have 4 children in the home, so it’s not like I can afford to buy alot of exercise equipment. Exercise is your first plan of attack here. Probably it’s all you need to get back down to your ideal weight, if your eating habits are good. Walking is great for starters. Suggestions: 1. Weight training. This is your best defense against fat gain and muscle loss. A gym is probably not the best way for you to start. A pair of adjustable dumbbells (2 handles, 4 collars, 4 plates each of 2.5 lbs., 5 lbs., and 10 lbs.) will cost about $50 and is a perfect apparatus for doing just about everything. If you have a sturdy coffee table, that can be a bench, or you can shop around for a second hand weight bench. 30 minutes of weight training, 3 x weekly, is ideal. And the dumbbells can be rolled under a bed or dumped in a closet for storage. Will this cause me to lose weight or gain muscles? I don’t know much about dieting or exercising, and I just always assumed that lifting weights was for men and made your muscles larger. I don’t want large muscles, I want to lose weight. I suppose it sounds old-fashioned and shows my age, but doesn’t anyone jump rope or do jumping jacks anymore? Dance hard? Do the old sit-ups or knee-bends? I just simply cannot see myself lifting weights. How about jogging? Would that be better than my walking? (though I love walking, and hate running) Would any of these help or should I concentrate more on calories and fat intake? Head to http://www.stumptuous.com/program.html and click on the all-dumbbell workout for routine ideas. I think the server is down at the moment, so keep checking. 2. Ramp up the intensity of your walking. What’s your walking speed: strolling, ambling, or booting it like your butt’s on fire? You should really be clipping along at around 4 mph. Do you have any hills? Try some hill walks, or stair climbs if you have any long sets of stairs. Either way, climb up, walk down, repeat. Every other day, do some more intense cardio than you’re used to. Actually, I must walk pretty fast, at least over 4&1/2 miles an hour. The only reason I know this is because since I walk it every day, I asked my husband one time how far I walk, and he drove it for me while checking the mileage. He said it was just alittle over 4 &1/2 miles and it takes me the same amount of time each day, which is 45 minutes. I really suck at math, but I guess that’s not just strolling? I know I that on the rare occasions I take my dog with me, I feel like I’m bored out of my mind because she goes so slow and wants to smell everything. Should I walk this same loop twice a day instead of once? I realize that exercise is helpful, but maybe I need more than that? Like calorie counting, or something. I’ve never done that, so I don’t really know if maybe just walking twice daily combined with counting calories would do the trick? Is it hard to count calories? So far, I’ve just cut back on my food intake, I haven’t ever counted actual calories. What do you think? Oh, and yes, there are hills. The loop I walk is a gravel road way up in the mountains where I live. So it’s up and down, and real curvy and winding. Up and down the stairs is something I never even thought of! I’ll try that, as surely that would burn calories rather quickly. And while I’m not 400 pounds, as was the lady Beckie posted about, I still would hate to be laughed at if I did join a gym (assuming I could make it there often, which I seriously doubt). I don’t have the personality to be able to take being laughed at, I’d probably start crying, run out and never go back at all. I’ve always lived a rather isolated lifestyle, except for family and a few close friends, so maybe I’m just overly-sensitive, but I really don’t think I could handle being laughed at. (laughed with, yes, but at, no) Nobody likes being laughed at. You sound like you live in the country. There are tons of cool ways to get exercise in the country. Gardening is awesome if you do lots of digging, wheelbarrowing, etc. I have some more ideas at http://www.stumptuous.com/noweights.html (again, give the server a little while to recover). I do indeed have gardens, both vegetable and flower ones. I get alot of enjoyment out of both, but it hasn’t helped me so far to lose weight. I find that with both I mostly just end up either on my knees (flower beds) or bending over alot (veggie garden). My husband does all the tilling and digging, while I do the tending and weeding. It IS exercise, though I don’t really know if it counts? I don’t want to misrepresent myself or make it seem like I’m a do nothing. I’m very busy, nearly all the time, regardless of my isolated lifestyle. Same as always, which is why I do not understand why I can’t seem to shake this 30 pounds. I may not get out into town much, but I surely have my hands full here at home. I just don’t get it. My life hasn’t changed much, nor has my diet, in 30 some years. So why now is this baby weight still hanging on? Any ideas or thoughts are appreciated, so I thank you for responding. Collette

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I was just going to say this and you beat me too it. Tell her we are all waiting to her from her. Roxan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m lifting my glass of water to you and to your new friend. Why don’t you get to know her a bit more, find out if she has internet access. Send her our way, and we can join you in cheering her on. Melissa 140/117/115 I get so sick to death of seeing some members stare and laugh at the really FAT people in my gym. It makes me furious and it hurts my feelings for the truly obese people I see trying so hard. Today is not the first time I have seen and heard people snickering at this one lady who goes to my gym. Honestly, she weighs 400 pounds, if she weighs an ounce, and she doesn’t look to be more than 5 feet tall. But I see her at the gym *Every Single Day* that I am there too. She warms up for 5-10 minutes on whatever cardio machine strikes her fancy that day, and then she does weights. I’ve been watching this woman. One day she does back and biceps – 2 or 3 different exercises for each. The next day she does lower body work. She squats, ladies and gentlemen. She squats her little heart out. Then she works her hams and her calves, fitting in more glute work in between. The next day she does chest, shoulders, and triceps. Again, 2 or 3 exercises for each. And she doesn’t forget abs. She sprinkles that in among her routines as well. She uses some machines, but she loves the free weights. She also takes full advantage of various compound exercises like pull-ups. She can make that assisted pull-up machine SING. She varies her routine, too. Does this and that sometimes, but makes sure to hit her basic muscle groups at least twice a week. After her weights, she always goes back to cardio for about 20-25 minutes or so and does intervals on it, speeding up for a while, slowing down, speeding up, etc. She must listen to some pretty jazzy music on her headphones because sometimes it looks like she’s dancing! She shows up like clockwork. She concentrates. The look on her face while she’s lifting is one of steel, and you can tell just by looking at her that her every thought is dedicated to that weight and the muscles she’s using to lift it. Today I told her what I thought of her. How I’ve been watching her and how inspiring she is to me. Well, she started to cry! Then she became very animated and told me she’s lost about 35 pounds so far but that because she is so fat, her weight loss doesn’t "show" yet. She’s on a diabetes doctor-given diet that’s working for her. She told me I’m the first person who has spoken to her since she joined a bit over 4 months ago. Okay, I freely admit that I am the world’s biggest sap, and I cried too. Then we both started to laugh because we were both crying, and it was just so fun to be with her! You know, if you are very sick, you belong at the doctor’s office or in the hospital. If you are a religious church-goer and you’re not feeling too great about yourself and you want to make things right with God, you belong in church. And if you are ignorant and uneducated and you want to learn, you belong in school. So how come if you are very fat and you want to lose weight and be strong and you go to the gym, some people giggle at you and make secret fun of you? I mean, would it be more acceptable for my new friend to be sitting in McDonalds, stuffing her face with Big Macs? Or doing a few leg lifts in the privacy of her living room because she’s too fat to be seen in a gym? Where Do These Ridiculing People Want This Woman To Go?? *Where do they think her place is?* What is wrong with this scenario? I just don’t understand this at all. I know my new friend has seen and heard people making fun of her because I’ve seen her put her head down when it happens. But she’s buried that hurt and embarrassment and has shown up everyday. She’s in her gym, where she belongs because that’s where she wants to be and that’s where she knows she needs to be. I’m sorry for this rant and for this long post. But I just despise people who make fun of other people who are trying so hard to do something so good. I cannot comprehend the pleasure derived from it. I am so proud of my new gym friend, and I’m ashamed I never talked to her before this morning. – Beckie

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I must point out that with weight lifting as all else, YMMV! While I don’t get huge muscles I do get quite large muscles, quite quickly – after five weeks of moderate weight training I have noticeably put on muscles – particularly across my back and at the base of my neck – a couple of my shirt collars don’t do up. (I am female, I hasten to point out!) On the other hand I feel about 1000% better, my back has stopped hurting and I can lift up 14 and 18kg toddlers without batting an eyelid! I’ve also lost an inch and a half round the waist, and a bit round the thighs, with no change in weight. I accepted long ago that I was never going to be small and petite, no matter how I dieted, and I would rather be large and heavily muscled than large and flabby. My body’s reaction to weight training (and training for rowing) has always been like this – I understand, however, that this is unusual! do any of the weightlifting gurus have any explanation to my ability to build muscle? I do, even on the machines, do high weights and lift to failure, unlike most females one sees at the gym. Do I have an unusually high level of testosterone, or spectacularly well adjusted muscle fibres? Susan S.

Response:

I also wonder if this person was a man, there wouldn’t be anyone snickering. I doubt it. If anything, just a little more behind his back.

The only good thing in this scenario is that we guys are relatively oblivious to snickering. (Just ask my wife.) Don

Response:

As I have stated before, *I Hate People*. Because for the most part, they are assholes. With the exception of you, Beckie, and I am SO GLAD that you broke the ice with this woman. I bet you made her YEAR. I bet it was just what she needed. Maybe now you guys can be a support network for each other. You and I both know that she works out like 50 times harder than any of those other skinnier-than-thou losoirs at your gym, and has overcome so many more obstacles just to get there every day. This is really inspiring to me, and I have now resolved to extend the hand of friendship to a particular person at my gym. I just need to develop a personality first. Del

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I must point out that with weight lifting as all else, YMMV! While I don’t get huge muscles I do get quite large muscles, quite quickly – after five weeks of moderate weight training I have noticeably put on muscles – particularly across my back and at the base of my neck – a couple of my shirt collars don’t do up. (I am female, I hasten to point out!) On the other hand I feel about 1000% better, my back has stopped hurting and I can lift up 14 and 18kg toddlers without batting an eyelid! I’ve also lost an inch and a half round the waist, and a bit round the thighs, with no change in weight. I accepted long ago that I was never going to be small and petite, no matter how I dieted, and I would rather be large and heavily muscled than large and flabby. My body’s reaction to weight training (and training for rowing) has always been like this – I understand, however, that this is unusual! do any of the weightlifting gurus have any explanation to my ability to build muscle? I do, even on the machines, do high weights and lift to failure, unlike most females one sees at the gym. Do I have an unusually high level of testosterone, or spectacularly well adjusted muscle fibres?

(sorry, posting pre-coffee, hope this makes sense) A lot of it is water retention in the first few weeks of training. People think they’ve bulked up, but it’s just intracellular hydration. I have yet to see a woman who wound up huge from weight training IF she lost bodyfat. You’d be amazed how much of your perceived bulk is bodyfat. I have naturally very large quads and calves, and I still lost several inches off my legs with training. Muscle mass gain actually happens quite slowly (to the chagrin of many a male teenager who wants to be Charles Atlas in a week). Female (non-drug using) bodybuilders who spend their time maximizing muscle gain still look very lean and wiry when they diet down to a lower bodyfat. But hey, even if you’re one in a zillion genetically, enjoy getting huge and being the envy of all of us weightlifting chicks who are less gifted. Krista — http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html mistresskrista at home.com

Response:

don't laugh at me too much, ok?

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:21 +0000

Question:

I had to build the thing 3 times before I found those metal corner things to hold the damn thing together! And then Thor had to do the power screwdriver thing for me cuz I wasn’t strong enough.

Ah, you are a true initiate into the wonders of home projects now! I think the rule is, it generally takes three times longer than you thought it would, and you have to go back to the store at least twice for stuff after you thought you had everything you needed to do it. Those metal corner thingies, oh yes, *how* many times have I nailed something together, as if it was going to hold, haha, little foolish bunny! So trusting! So happy to be nailing! So ignorant of engineering realities! Heck, we weren’t raised in a hardware store, what *are* all those things in there? It sure is interesting finding out how many weird hardware things there are that do different things. Maybe we’re supposed to find out the hard way to build character or something? I don’t have any arm strength either. I have to have help with stuff like that too. I maintain that this is one of those times when Thor was meant to fulfill his biological destiny and screw in your screws for you. This also works for oil changes and anything else you think you can get away with, use this line early and often! Attractive????? WOW. (you can’t quite see it in the pictures, but twine at the bottom of the legs keeps them from splaying outwards)

It sure is attractive, it looks great! That is excellent, twine is a very gardeny, outdoorsy thing, and should be allowed to fulfill its stringy destiny and keep things from splaying for you. I’m seriously impressed. Well NOW I am! :-DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I should think so! I’d sure be proud of myself if I were you. That’s one hot little setup there you did, you can display that with pride any eight days of the week. If I did that, I would be going back and looking at it and looking at it and go back in the house and then go back outside to admire it some more. It’s something to delight in! But i do have to tell you that the side part that was removed…. um…… is cattywampus. The top part fits nicely inside the frame. The bottom cares?!? It keeps the squirrels out.

Exactly! I figure that’s what a frame is for, framework is the stuff that we put the other stuff on. It doesn’t matter exactly where it goes as long as it all holds together. Think of the frame as the framework, the skeleton that you build on, instead of a frame like around a picture to hold things in, and then you will see that you did it perfectly! You have pilfering squirrels? What do they like to go after? Have you hung around the rec.gardens hierarchy much? I love those A little bit. There’s so much there!

So much that it can make your head spin! I joined a square foot gardening mailing list. The first mailing list i’ve ever joined before! It overwhelms me of course.

Oh, that sounds like a goody. Maybe I’ll try to find that one. Gawd, mailing lists, a lot of them *are* overwhelming. I subscribe to several and read very very little. There’s no way to keep up with all that stuff and still have time to *do* things instead of *reading* about things. Is that one very high volume? Square foot gardening is something I really want to do a lot of in raised beds this year. I have at least 50 insect URLs now.

!!! FIFTY?!?! Good lord, girl, you *are* a maven! We’ll have to start calling you the Queen Ladybug! take five years and mumbledy-mumble zillion dollars to put in. Gardening lust can be serious when it takes hold. Um…… YUP. I’ve had a harvest so far of FOUR pea pods….. and I don’t want to tell you how much $$ i’ve spent on those 4 pea pods.

Heh, I can believe it. The initial cash outlay makes the first veggies cost a lot per pound, but when you have the basics in, it gets cheap after that. I can rationalize anything — I figure (I’m always figuring to rationalize something) it’s like when you buy a house, it’s expensive and you could stay at the Holiday Inn for a lot cheaper, but it amortizes out after the beginning and then you’ve got your good deal. Weren’t those four pea pods precious to you? Your own baby pea pods! From your very own first wombn garden! *You* made them happen. And the satisfaction of harvesting your own veggies for dinner, how can you beat that? You are a groovy earth woman now. You were in your heart, you dreamed it, and you nurtured the dream and now you’re nurturing your garden and will reap the harvest. Your garden is part of your heart come to breathing life. What a wonderful place it must be. Very nice job! Thank you muchly for the pictures, and please feel free to post more early and often! THANK YOU!

I will offer bribes for more pictures! We want to see wombn’s pea pods! Thank YOU for further inspiration! — Bunny

Response:

I’m a beginner-beginner at EVERY aspect of this gardening and woodworking stuff. I’se doin’ the best I can.

These are absolutely wonderful Wombn! I am VERY impressed! It sure doesn’t look like a beginners job to me! Congratulations on a job excellently done! Mary Beth

Response:

Laugh?! It looks great! It looks really fabulous! If you’re not bursting-your-buttons-off proud of what you’ve done there, I don’t know what you’re waiting for! And you’re a beginner? You really have an aptitude and a good eye for this stuff, wombn. It’s both functional and attractive. What a terrific start you’ve made, and it’s not even officially summer yet. I’m seriously impressed. Have you hung around the rec.gardens hierarchy much? I love those newsgroups, but there’s so much stuff there, I get lost and sidetracked. I’ll go to find something specific, and find so much information and so many ideas that I come out with a head full of stuff I want to do that will take five years and mumbledy-mumble zillion dollars to put in. Gardening lust can be serious when it takes hold. Very nice job! Thank you muchly for the pictures, and please feel free to post more early and often! — Bunny, still hasn’t gotten the herb garden in yet — only my thyme and some mint survived the winter

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wombn said: Also, in this new (rental) house, he has lots more room than before. Approximately twice as much room. And more windows to patrol. And more outdoor neighbor cats & squirrels and birds to yowl at from all those lovely windows

I’ve noticed also that since Hopper and I have moved out of the truck Hopper has been slimming down again… granted he never was fat but he had obviously gained weight… now since we are in a house and he once again has room to race around at top speed… running up and down the stairs… he’s looking so much better… liah Cats are confident, not conceited. Don’t confuse their aplomb with arrogance.

Response:

Hydroponic Gardening question

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:16 +0000

Question:

Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

Hello, Check out the book "Four Season Gardening" by Eliot Coleman. He lists all the different kinds of greens you can grow and enjoy year round. He lives in Maine and harvests garden greens all winter outside, in coldframes covered with a hoop house. It really is possible. Liz – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

One should be prudent about making inquiries concerning grow lights, etc. Asking the wrong person could initiate more hassle than it’s worth. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

How will you run your grow lights.If by generator-do you have sufficient fuel?

Response:

You might consider sprouts as an alternative to lettuce. Most are ready to eat within 3 days and do not require grow lights or inordinate amounts of water which may be in short supply. There are may kinds besides alfalfa. I personally like broccoli, cabbage, radish, wheat and onion sprouts. Very tasty. Oh and my favorite of all is sunflower seeds sprouted until just the little root tails are growing but before the leaves turn green. Sprouting multiplies the nutrient value many times over but does reduce the number of calories you get from the seed. You can let them grow just a bit longer for a tasty green to use as salad replacement. E. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

Forgive me, but what is the Y2K thing that’s going to hit us so bad that we end up staying home and grow our own veggies? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

This site gives you free plans for hydroponics, one of which is listed as the method of choice for growing "Bibb" type (loose leaf) lettuce. http://www.simplyhydro.com/free.htm Perhaps this would help? I am still sticking with sprouts I think. This all looks very interesting and I would like to try it out but in crisis situation it would be too hard and too much time and resources to get started in hydroponics. Sprouts on the other hand I can have in 3 days, no equipment, no plans, no expertise, and I spend my time on other crucial things. E. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

I posted this message on these groups earlyer but I think there is good info here so here you go. The links here are the result of months of research (on the net) for info on growing vegetables using hydroponics.This year I tried it and it works! (check out my page!) It is easy and not expensive (if you build it yourself) and the rewards are…..tasty and very satisfying. Here is a lot of FREE information on how to do this type of gardening. (below) I have a friend, from work, who also tried this method of growing this year. He lives in an apt (upstairs) and he has a tomato plant growing in a 3 1/2 gallon plastic bucket that stretches over ten feet in each of two directions across his porch with the best tasting beef-steak tomatoes you ever have eaten! I’m talking Jersey quality here! (OK, insert your favorite state for Jersey) I don’t want to start a war … I just want to make a point. He’s got more that he can eat so he gives some of them away at work. You don’t need high tech …indeed you can do the pool garden style in the last link below (that’s the way I’m gonna do it if the poop hit the fan come Y2K) (see ECHO) This is a well written paper on survival gardening technique that natives in the Amazon (among others) have been using. An interesting read. Print it out and save it! Try the simple bucket style described in the first link, Simply Hydro. Its free! I’m not selling anything, I am not affiliated with any of the links here. I post this here to share the results of my research with you. If this interests you…learn more and share back it with us or e-mail me direct. I am going to increase the capacity of my hydro system and build a larger greenhouse. I plan to do a step by step how to page that will be free to anyone interested. Initial plans are to build a system out of 20 ft of 6 inch PVC drain pipe at a total cost of mtrls of no more than $150.00. including the pump. The footprint should be about 10 ft x 3 ft and will have about 30 grow sites. I welcome any questions or comments. I am not an expert in hydroponics and I guess that’s my point…..you don’t have to be. I did it the first time around, had great results, and I have a brown thumb (be nice) : ) I have been struggling with conventional gardens for years and I was about to give up…I wish I had learned of this technique best regards to all Duncan My Home Page: http://www.home.mpinet.net/dunc/ This post is a sincere attempt to share information. I am not affilliated with any of the links below. These links are the result of the hard work of others and although some of the links here are commercial in nature, I post them here because of the free information they provide. I welcome your comments! Other sites you have found etc. Links: a great site to learn all about Hydroponic gardening go to Hydro-U and do the tutorial. (it’s free) He has some very basic plans for homemade hydroponics and making cuttings etc. Simply Hydro: http://www.simplyhydro.com/ a superb site with free plans for building your own home hydroponics flood and drain style system from 1" PVC pipe. This fellow Floridian has a website that is over the top with information and photos of his system! He also has photos of hydroponic gardens created by others. He has parts to build your own or he’ll build one for you. Hydroponics Online: http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/home.htm really nice free plans to make a hydroponic system at home with common materials cheapest place to buy ready made too! Gro-Tech: http://www.ns.net/~bennu/ great prices on do it yourself stuff and hydroponic nutrients. Greenfire: http://greenfire.net/hot/ALLH.html I especially like this site! Has great prices on systems and kits or will sell parts only. KCinter: http://www.kcinter.net/~greenc/hydro.html this site has a downloadable book (cost $17.00) with everything you need to build three different kinds of hydroponic gardens and an online store with hard to find parts to help you construct yours. I bought this file and am in the process of putting a larger system together. futuregarden.com/ How To Hydroponics Site: http://futuregarden.com/ nice site. Sherry’s Greenhouse: http://www.sherrysgreenhouse.com/GHtomnotes.html here is a site that has information on doing hydroponics without any power! Third world, bad soil, compact gardening, or back to basics, it can be done with no power, pumps or tech so TRY IT! ECHO: http://www.xc.org/echo/azillus/azch17ov.htm

Response:

Ray Check out my page. I have built a homemade greenhouse and I started hydroponics this year with great results. I have pointers on my page to a lot of free information on how to do the hydro-thing. Also take note of this site: http://www.xc.org/echo/azillus/azch17ov.htm It is on of the best low tech ways I have seen to build survival gardens….no pumps ….no power …just food for the table without planting in the ground. It’s a long article so print it out and save it! Best of Luck Duncan

Response:

How will you run your grow lights.If by generator-do you have sufficient fuel?

Grow Lights??? I used hydroponics to grow vegetable plants without any grow lights. The set up was outside (here in FL.) but could have been in a greenhouse and a pot belly stove to heat it. Hydroponics do not have to be under grow lights inside. The sun works just fine, unless of course it goes out because of one of its computers locks up Big Dave

Response:

I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Start by contacting your county cooperative extension office for information. To my knowledge, you need good light for hydroponic gardening. If your set up is in the basement – and there is no power (except what you can produce on your own) – you will not have enough light. And the success of this project will depend greatly on where you live, If power is a problem, it will not only be light but also heat to be supplied. JonquilJan

Response:

I have a info file in my archive. E-mail and remind me and I will send it to you in a reply. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello All! I have nearly all the preperations needed for the possibility of Y2K. My family and I wish to live though, not just exist. Each human being has certain foods they crave. My better half is a lover of salads. We have most bases covered except lettuce. I came up with the idea of a hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned plant the seed in the ground type. I would like to solicit the assistance of any and all who are in the know on this subject. If the Y2K thing hits, families are going to be spending a lot of time together and happy bellys go a long way towards making all that togetherness much more harmonious. Best wishes and thanks in advance, Ray Miller N2NJK (Amateur Radio)

Response:

says… hydroponic lettuce garden in the basement. Of course the one catch is that I know less about this form of gardening than the old fashioned

Here you go. This is where I got started. Have fun! http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/ — ICQ 44360431 Public PGP Key upon request

Response:

Hi all: We use 3 1000 watt lamps in our Hydroponics garden and have built our own power plant to supply the lamps, we run the power plant on Hydrogen. to see what were doing check out our MORE ABOUT POWER page at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1216/index.html Henry Independent Urban Dwellers http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1216/gate3.html

Response:

Hi all, I have some good Hydroponics info at my site, just check out my MORE ABOUT FOOD page and my SPECIAL LINKS page, you can find them at the home of The Independent Urban Dwellers http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1216/index.html Henry Independent Urban Dwellers http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/1216/gate3.html

Response:

O.T. — I am leaving for a while

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:14 +0000

Question:

Spring is springing here in Eastern Ontario and we are having some raised garden beds built in the back yard. I like watching things grow and I strongly suspect I will be obsessively peeking at the beds every five minutes or so. This is my way of saying that I am going to take a break from the things that remind me of MS, including this newsgroup. I will return around Mad Hatter day, although I will poke my nose in from time to time in the interim. Tomatoes are my favourite fruit. I have started two containers inside with nineteen different kinds of tomatoes from the fast paced Early Girl to slow and stately Brandywines and Beefsteak (wave to Michael) varieties. This is the first time I have started tomatoes from seed; last year we planted four beefsteak plants in a small area outside. Below is a short tale I wrote on another forum followed by a URL where you can see Audrey flashing her genitals at you. Tommy and his kid should control themselves. I do not know what I will do with all the tomatoes from 19 different plants. A person on the other forum also likes tomatoes and she cruises her town for parked, unlocked cars. She then places a basket of tomatoes in each of them. She is serial planter, I guess. The reason for growing so many kinds is just to sample each, they all have different flavours. From the other forum: "Along with gardening, we feed the wild birds, which pleases the squirrels! Our neighbours began finding "unusual" weeds in their gardens; when they pulled them out they found peanuts attached to the "weed". Our wild bird mix has raw peanuts (unsalted, unroasted) and the squirrels were burying these in the gardens of our neighbours. The peanuts were growing! Fast forward to last fall. The neighbours told us about these peanuts but neither Joan nor I had never seen a peanut plant. Joan got a large flower pot and pushed a whole peanut, shell and all, into it. What do Canucks know about growing peanuts? (Former tobacco growers need not reply to that.) I was eating the last of the beefsteak tomatoes, which we had picked green just before frost and ripened them indoors. As a joke, I reached down and took a seed from the tomato and planted it in the same pot. Both the tomato and the peanut sprouted. All winter long they grew, not well, but they grew. The peanut has grown to about 18 inches tall and has recently started to grow orange coloured blossoms. Quite attractive. The beefsteak tomato plant is another matter. It kept growing and growing and … We named the plants. The peanut is Penelope, Penny for short. The tomato is Audrey, named after the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors". Audrey reached the 8 foot ceiling a few weeks ago and her main stem broke (we had only 6 foot stakes). The stem did not die, but its growing end has reversed course and is once again ceiling bound. Other branches are now almost at the ceiling. Audrey has also started blossoming. There are photographs of Audrey just before her growing stem broke. I apologise for the fact that she is waving her genitalia in the pictures. If such things embarrass you then do not follow the link. :-) Anyway, if I can keep Penny and Audrey going until the end of May then they will be moved outdoors. You may see Audrey up to the ceiling at http://web.ripnet.com/~jcarter/audrey.html ." — Spelling and grammatical errors are deliberate to catch copyright violators.

To Liz (and other gardeners) OT

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:11 +0000

Question:

Hello Anna, I envy you seeing the heads of the daffodils so soon, I’ll need at least another month depending on the weather. So instead I’m plotting yet another flower bed and an herb bed in the back yard. I’ll at least get buried pots…. they do like to roam…… David

Response:

Hya david, Even when you plant mints in burried pots they roam I have tried that,they are so *strongminded* But they will do less and you can *correct* them more easily Today I saw my furst snowdrops as well Anna

Response:

Well, that’s ok for the mints, I like to dry them and use them in tea during the winter. Oh, after my post I happened to look at my daffodils and darn if they weren’t peeking up at me through the mulch, just a bit of green announcing their presence. Thanks for giving me the moment to look. Spring will come!!!!! David

Response:

Maybe we can send seeds to each other of some varieties of plants from our own plants in the fall. They might grow, and they might not, but it would be fun!

What a great idea Liz, I doubt I will have seeds this year, but I will have hundreds of bulbs from iris that have been busy dividing for a hundred years. Yikes I don’t want to clean out those beds! : ) Jess Ebay:JVincentGallery Online Shop: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/junqueslr

Response:

This is silly, but to me it is like Christmas when I dig bulbs and find lots of divisions. Still, digging hundreds of Iris bulbs sounds pretty daunting! Yikes! Take care, Liz Maybe we can send seeds to each other of some varieties of plants from our own plants in the fall. They might grow, and they might not, but it would be fun! What a great idea Liz, I doubt I will have seeds this year, but I will have hundreds of bulbs from iris that have been busy dividing for a hundred years. Yikes I don’t want to clean out those beds! : ) Jess Ebay:JVincentGallery Online Shop: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/junqueslr

– There is always music amongst the trees in the garden but our minds must be very still to hear it.

Response:

Me too. My favorite is chocolate mint. It has a peppermint pattie smell. Yum. My daffodil bulbs are in the ground under a huge pile of snow…sigh. Still, the snow is a good blanket for them. Gotta think positively! Take care, Liz Well, that’s ok for the mints, I like to dry them and use them in tea during the winter. Oh, after my post I happened to look at my daffodils and darn if they weren’t peeking up at me through the mulch, just a bit of green announcing their presence. Thanks for giving me the moment to look. Spring will come!!!!! David

– There is always music amongst the trees in the garden but our minds must be very still to hear it.

Response:

SEE ???? Thats how easy it is lol Anna – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Humans beings can always be relied upon to assert, with vigor, their god-given right to be stupid." Dean Koontz, Seize the Night

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oh good, Robin. I’m so glad to meet someone who is as ignorant about gardening as I am. My mother had beautiful flower gardens, and my father actually grew vegetables and made a living doing it (along with the chickens) for a long time. For various reasons, I have never been able to have a garden of my own. Now I finally have a small fenced back yard where we want a sort of wild English garden. It has to be really low maintenance because I can’t bend my knees very well. I’m excited about it, but don’t have a clue in the world how to get started. I know if I have the same luck as I do with house plants, it won’t have a chance. : ) Dear Dot, You are a perfect candidate for a wildflower garden. Many nurseries sell flower mixtures, sometimes they come in canisters or seed mats. It is usually a blend of many flowers, some annuals, some perennials, many of which will self seed every year. I am sure you could find a English garden mixture. All you have to do is prepare the soil, by slightly raking it so as to make the ground soft, sprinkle the mixture on. The key is to water every single day. The first year it may not look the way you envisioned it would, but you will see that every year it gets fuller and more beautiful. These types of gardens are low maintenance and basically you are letting nature do what it please )) Where I live, the town has wildflower gardens on the side of the highways, they are stunning looking in the summer. Here are some links, you might be able to find a place on the internet that sells these wildflower mixtures. http://www.google.com/search?q=seeds+for+english+garden&btnG=Google+S… I just got this catalog and they sell all kinds of wildflower mixtures. www.wildseedfarms.com It is important that you buy mixtures or seeds that can grow in your part of the country. Take care Jackie

Wow! Jackie, thanks so much! I can’t wait to get started! Love, Dot

Response:

I like the golden yellows very much and I dunnot have on ( strange huh? )

The butterfly bushes with the spiked flowers are called "Buddleia Davidii". The golden-yellow are called "Buddleia Globosa". The flowers are not spiked on this bush, they are like clusters and very dainty. I had a hard time finding this bush here, but I have two now I find the fragrance from the Butterfly bush intoxicating at times, it makes my whole yard smell so beautiful. And lupines well they are great

I love Lupines, I love all flowers. Jackie ~*~Where flowers bloom so does hope~*~

Response:

Maybe we can send seeds to each other of some varieties of plants from our own plants in the fall. They might grow, and they might not, but it would be fun!

Dear Liz, I would love to be a part of this ) I have alot of plants in my garden that I can gather seeds from. Jackie ~*~The Earth Laughs in Flowers~*~

Response:

Ok all you green thumbs….I can’t get a thing to grow. Oklahoma is hard to learn in too! I want more than anything to have white gardenia’s But I have seeds for Moon Flowers and Morning Glories so white would be blooming all the time….however I have no idea how the hell to do this! I can imagine me out there digging away and planting all the seeds…then a huge spring storm washing all the seeds away!

Dear Robin, Start your seeds indoors, then you transplant them when they are a few inches tall. This will give them a good chance of surviving once in the ground. They sell peat moss cups that you can start your seeds in, then they can go right into the ground when it is time to plant the seedlings. I use plastic drinking cups to start mine. If you want to add some color being everything is white, they sell different color morning glories, I especially like the classic blue color. I love Moon flowers, you will not believe how fragrant they are at night. With the Morning Glory seeds, make sure to prick the hull slightly( I usually prick one end off), then soak in water overnight, if you don`t do this, they will not sprout. Take care Jackie Moonflowers aglow along the lattice walls; a candlelit porch.

Response:

Oh good, Robin. I’m so glad to meet someone who is as ignorant about gardening as I am. My mother had beautiful flower gardens, and my father actually grew vegetables and made a living doing it (along with the chickens) for a long time. For various reasons, I have never been able to have a garden of my own. Now I finally have a small fenced back yard where we want a sort of wild English garden. It has to be really low maintenance because I can’t bend my knees very well. I’m excited about it, but don’t have a clue in the world how to get started. I know if I have the same luck as I do with house plants, it won’t have a chance. : )

Dear Dot, You are a perfect candidate for a wildflower garden. Many nurseries sell flower mixtures, sometimes they come in canisters or seed mats. It is usually a blend of many flowers, some annuals, some perennials, many of which will self seed every year. I am sure you could find a English garden mixture. All you have to do is prepare the soil, by slightly raking it so as to make the ground soft, sprinkle the mixture on. The key is to water every single day. The first year it may not look the way you envisioned it would, but you will see that every year it gets fuller and more beautiful. These types of gardens are low maintenance and basically you are letting nature do what it please )) Where I live, the town has wildflower gardens on the side of the highways, they are stunning looking in the summer. Here are some links, you might be able to find a place on the internet that sells these wildflower mixtures. http://www.google.com/search?q=seeds+for+english+garden&btnG=Google+S… I just got this catalog and they sell all kinds of wildflower mixtures. www.wildseedfarms.com It is important that you buy mixtures or seeds that can grow in your part of the country. Take care Jackie

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Nono miss Robin thats defitnetly not the way to do it You dunnot plant seeds lol You plant plants Just make a part off the garden nice and fluffy put the seeds on your seeding *bed* Maybe put some white sand over it Keep it moist and you will see. Kiss Anna It’s all greek to me….LOL Would you like for me to try to explain the disciplinary procedures in the state penetentiaries for you…that I can do with much pomp and flair, but to make a seeding *bed* just makes me think of my first wedding where the birdseeds began to actually grow under the floor mat of our jeep after moisture got in…that’s the last thing I got to grow and it was by pure accident! Robin Humans beings can always be relied upon to assert, with vigor, their god-given right to be stupid." Dean Koontz, Seize the Night Oh good, Robin. I’m so glad to meet someone who is as ignorant about gardening as I am. My mother had beautiful flower gardens, and my father actually grew vegetables and made a living doing it (along with the chickens) for a long time. For various reasons, I have never been able to have a garden of my own. Now I finally have a small fenced back yard where we want a sort of wild English garden. It has to be really low maintenance because I can’t bend my knees very well. I’m excited about it, but don’t have a clue in the world how to get started. I know if I have the same luck as I do with house plants, it won’t have a chance. : ) Dot p.s. – I want to talk to my plants, but I don’t know what sex they are. Should I just call them all "Pat?"

YOU YOU Pat will do allright LMAO Anna – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

Lizzie, I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time Hug Anna

Response:

I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time

Dear Anna, You are so lucky to be able to work in your garden. My garden has been covered by snow for weeks now. I probably won`t be able to do any work in it for another two months. Butterfly bushes are one of my favorites, I have 11 of them in assorted colors ranging from deep purples to golden-yellows. Mine are always adorned with beautiful butterflies during the summer. My sister-in-law went to New Zealand in October and she brought me back some seeds, so I will have Lupines in my garden this summer from New Zealand I am glad you had a nice day Jackie

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time Dear Anna, You are so lucky to be able to work in your garden. My garden has been covered by snow for weeks now. I probably won`t be able to do any work in it for another two months. Butterfly bushes are one of my favorites, I have 11 of them in assorted colors ranging from deep purples to golden-yellows. Mine are always adorned with beautiful butterflies during the summer. My sister-in-law went to New Zealand in October and she brought me back some seeds, so I will have Lupines in my garden this summer from New Zealand I am glad you had a nice day Jackie

I like the golden yellows very much and I dunnot have on ( strange huh? ) And lupines well they are great Kiss Anna

Response:

That sounds so wonderful…being able to do stuff outside. We have about a foot of snow right now and much more winter to go. I start some of my seedlings in the greenhouse about the third week in February, and can plant cold crop seeds like spinach, lettuce, peas outside in April. Our last heavy frost is usually sometime in early May, so I can plant most things by the middle of May. You have a rose bud…sigh…I am so envious! Yes, it is best to have it inside where the frost cannot destroy it before it even gets a chance to open. Perhaps we can all share our gardens this summer on a website. I would not mind hosting it….I have the space. I ususally put one up anyway for my gardening friend in Massachusetts. My property is not anything for a magazine, just a simple rural back yard, but I love it. Take care, Liz – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lizzie, I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time Hug Anna

– There is always music amongst the trees in the garden but our minds must be very still to hear it.

Response:

Maybe we can send seeds to each other of some varieties of plants from our own plants in the fall. They might grow, and they might not, but it would be fun! Take care, Liz – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time Dear Anna, You are so lucky to be able to work in your garden. My garden has been covered by snow for weeks now. I probably won`t be able to do any work in it for another two months. Butterfly bushes are one of my favorites, I have 11 of them in assorted colors ranging from deep purples to golden-yellows. Mine are always adorned with beautiful butterflies during the summer. My sister-in-law went to New Zealand in October and she brought me back some seeds, so I will have Lupines in my garden this summer from New Zealand I am glad you had a nice day Jackie I like the golden yellows very much and I dunnot have on ( strange huh? ) And lupines well they are great Kiss Anna

– There is always music amongst the trees in the garden but our minds must be very still to hear it.

Response:

Maybe we can send seeds to each other of some varieties of plants from our own plants in the fall. They might grow, and they might not, but it would be fun! Take care, Liz

Yes I would like that very much,I allready have pieces off my garden named after people:) I have a tiny spot where i grow plants my Granny liked I even have an old agenda with gardenplans from my grandfather. Then i could call a piece Jackies garden And Lizzies garden Hugs Anna – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time Dear Anna, You are so lucky to be able to work in your garden. My garden has been covered by snow for weeks now. I probably won`t be able to do any work in it for another two months. Butterfly bushes are one of my favorites, I have 11 of them in assorted colors ranging from deep purples to golden-yellows. Mine are always adorned with beautiful butterflies during the summer. My sister-in-law went to New Zealand in October and she brought me back some seeds, so I will have Lupines in my garden this summer from New Zealand I am glad you had a nice day Jackie I like the golden yellows very much and I dunnot have on ( strange huh? ) And lupines well they are great Kiss Anna — There is always music amongst the trees in the garden but our minds must be very still to hear it.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Nono miss Robin thats defitnetly not the way to do it You dunnot plant seeds lol You plant plants Just make a part off the garden nice and fluffy put the seeds on your seeding *bed* Maybe put some white sand over it Keep it moist and you will see. Kiss Anna It’s all greek to me….LOL Would you like for me to try to explain the disciplinary procedures in the state penetentiaries for you…that I can do with much pomp and flair, but to make a seeding *bed* just makes me think of my first wedding where the birdseeds began to actually grow under the floor mat of our jeep after moisture got in…that’s the last thing I got to grow and it was by pure accident! Robin Humans beings can always be relied upon to assert, with vigor, their god-given right to be stupid." Dean Koontz, Seize the Night

Response:

Nono miss Robin thats defitnetly not the way to do it You dunnot plant seeds lol You plant plants Just make a part off the garden nice and fluffy put the seeds on your seeding *bed* Maybe put some white sand over it Keep it moist and you will see. Kiss Anna

It’s all greek to me….LOL Would you like for me to try to explain the disciplinary procedures in the state penetentiaries for you…that I can do with much pomp and flair, but to make a seeding *bed* just makes me think of my first wedding where the birdseeds began to actually grow under the floor mat of our jeep after moisture got in…that’s the last thing I got to grow and it was by pure accident! Robin Humans beings can always be relied upon to assert, with vigor, their god-given right to be stupid." Dean Koontz, Seize the Night

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – That sounds so wonderful…being able to do stuff outside. We have about a foot of snow right now and much more winter to go. I start some of my seedlings in the greenhouse about the third week in February, and can plant cold crop seeds like spinach, lettuce, peas outside in April. Our last heavy frost is usually sometime in early May, so I can plant most things by the middle of May. You have a rose bud…sigh…I am so envious! Yes, it is best to have it inside where the frost cannot destroy it before it even gets a chance to open. Perhaps we can all share our gardens this summer on a website. I would not mind hosting it….I have the space. I ususally put one up anyway for my gardening friend in Massachusetts. My property is not anything for a magazine, just a simple rural back yard, but I love it. Take care, Liz

You would do that I like the idea very much. I dunnot have a big garden myself,but that is the challenge I also grow things in the house in little boxes and plant them in may outside I love annuals Hug Anna – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lizzie, I worked in the garden today ( the first day this year ) I had to prune the caryopteris and the butterflybushes. It was mild weather and working my way trough the garden I saw the *green heads* of the daphodils,spring is coming. It was nice and the garden smelled spicey,you know the smell of old leaves. And you know what ? One off the rosebushes ( we call it the applerose,the eglantier ) had a bud,poor thing I cut it of and it is in my grandmothers liqueurglass. Can you see it? I hope you can work the garden soon again,it is so relaxing Maybe I send you some piccies off my garden some time Hug Anna — There is always music amongst the trees in the garden but our minds must be very still to hear it.

Response:

Not a great day – Why Not!!

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:08 +0000

Question:

Hi Nancy, Hope things pick up for you soon… In the meantime, RANT awayyyyyyyy. Can’t beat a good rant. smiles, Pete

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had such a great day yesterday. Gardening and cleaning and making dinner. I felt great all day. Today I am nervous and anxious and noises are driving me crazy. My husband is home and he’s dragging me all over hells acres. Usually it’s me dragging him but I just don’t feel up to standing around. My boss phoned luckily when I was out. I am not ready to speak to that man but I know I have to. I thank him for this new bought of the worst anxiety attacks I have ever experienced in my life!! I just feel so down and I want to cry. My husband doesn’t understand. He’s trying so hard to be nice but as far as he’s concerned I have nothing to worry about and he doesn’t understand why I feel the way I do. He keeps saying to get off the pills. But he doesn’t realize how much worse I am when I am off them. I always try to be strong in front of him and the kids because they don’t know what’s going on inside my head and none of them would understand. I don’t want to scare the kids so I keep up a smiling face and pretend that I am fine even though on the inside I want to explode! Sory for the ranting I just needed to get a few things off my chest. Nancy — Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

Response:

– Hi Jackie, Thanks for the pep talk. Yes I do find that it catches up with me. I can only smile for so long. Sometimes I am glad that my husband works nights and the kids are in bed, then I can just sit and cry and not have to worry that I’m upsetting anyone. The only problem with that is I also get my worst panic attacks when I am alone! Geez I can’t win for nothing!! Our garden is very small, some people would probably say that it’s not worth having a garden but we like it. It’s something that my husband and I do together. We put in a small pond last year (our friends joke about it being a puddle) but we enjoy sitting and watching it. It’s nice to have a shared interest with a spouse and I guess this is ours. I have some pictures that I will post. We ended up at the nursery again this afternoon. It’s too early to plant here in Canada but the weather the last few days has been wonderful so you just can’t help to want to add some color. I’m feeling a bit better this afternoon. At least I feel that I am improving overall. I can’t stand the thought of having to go back to work. That is one place that I just can’t handle right now. I am supposed to go back next week but I don’t know if I can do it. I think it will just put me right back to where I was a month ago. Anyway, suppers ready. Nancy T Dear Nancy, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Don`t be sorry for venting here, that`s the purpose of this newsgroup. It sounds like you are living with alot of tension, work stress, difficult boss, a husband who tries to understand but doesn`t, kids, etc. I do the same thing as you, I hold everything in, I let no one know that I am anxious or uptight, put on the happy face all the time, but…….it always catches up with me sooner or later. Do you find that also? You had a good day yesterday, so you know that you can have "good" days, sometimes we have to have a bad day now and then to appreciate the good ones {{{{{Nancy}}}}} P.S. What kind of gardening are you into? I enjoy working in my flower gardens, I find the work is very relaxing and I look foward to seeing the fruits of my labor!! Take care and I hope you can find some peace today. Jackie ~~The true story….is the realization that no time in your life is ever perfect, that even the best memories have cracks you might not see.~~

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had such a great day yesterday. Gardening and cleaning and making dinner. I felt great all day. Today I am nervous and anxious and noises are driving me crazy. My husband is home and he’s dragging me all over hells acres. Usually it’s me dragging him but I just don’t feel up to standing around. My boss phoned luckily when I was out. I am not ready to speak to that man but I know I have to. I thank him for this new bought of the worst anxiety attacks I have ever experienced in my life!! I just feel so down and I want to cry. My husband doesn’t understand. He’s trying so hard to be nice but as far as he’s concerned I have nothing to worry about and he doesn’t understand why I feel the way I do. He keeps saying to get off the pills. But he doesn’t realize how much worse I am when I am off them. I always try to be strong in front of him and the kids because they don’t know what’s going on inside my head and none of them would understand. I don’t want to scare the kids so I keep up a smiling face and pretend that I am fine even though on the inside I want to explode! Sory for the ranting I just needed to get a few things off my chest.

Dear Nancy, Don`t be sorry for venting here, that`s the purpose of this newsgroup. It sounds like you are living with alot of tension, work stress, difficult boss, a husband who tries to understand but doesn`t, kids, etc. I do the same thing as you, I hold everything in, I let no one know that I am anxious or uptight, put on the happy face all the time, but…….it always catches up with me sooner or later. Do you find that also? You had a good day yesterday, so you know that you can have "good" days, sometimes we have to have a bad day now and then to appreciate the good ones {{{{{Nancy}}}}} P.S. What kind of gardening are you into? I enjoy working in my flower gardens, I find the work is very relaxing and I look foward to seeing the fruits of my labor!! Take care and I hope you can find some peace today. Jackie ~~The true story….is the realization that no time in your life is ever perfect, that even the best memories have cracks you might not see.~~

Response:

I had such a great day yesterday. Gardening and cleaning and making dinner. I felt great all day. Today I am nervous and anxious and noises are driving me crazy. My husband is home and he’s dragging me all over hells acres. Usually it’s me dragging him but I just don’t feel up to standing around. My boss phoned luckily when I was out. I am not ready to speak to that man but I know I have to. I thank him for this new bought of the worst anxiety attacks I have ever experienced in my life!! I just feel so down and I want to cry. My husband doesn’t understand. He’s trying so hard to be nice but as far as he’s concerned I have nothing to worry about and he doesn’t understand why I feel the way I do. He keeps saying to get off the pills. But he doesn’t realize how much worse I am when I am off them. I always try to be strong in front of him and the kids because they don’t know what’s going on inside my head and none of them would understand. I don’t want to scare the kids so I keep up a smiling face and pretend that I am fine even though on the inside I want to explode! Sory for the ranting I just needed to get a few things off my chest. Nancy — Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

Response:

Its a beautiful day here

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:06 +0000

Question:

Yes Suzie…go play with your dog and your daisies and the people you work with. I’ll spend the day with my family…something I never hear you say you’ll do, but I’m sure you will now leave a lengthy post about how you’ll spend the day with your daughter. You’re so pathetically predictable, after all. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took buford out for a stroll – the sun is bright and the air is not to hot – shirtsleeve weather. Neighbors are out tending to their contaner gardens. I pulled a few dead blooms offa the petunias and they are smiling and perky. Buford found a pile of cat hair – and being the short sighted little guy that he is – thought it was a real cat and pounced playfully on it. Hee hee – embarrassment – no kitty. But he keeps trying to find one to play with. Gots to go work with newbie voluteers – some of them were at the party last night and it was great to see the interact with the old-timers there. There was lots of healing talk and lots of love amongst the new hotline volunteers and the old time ones. A lot of people came who don’t answer the line anymore but still feel connected and still recruit volunteers and do some stuff. It was really cool to see them too. We worked all day turning a banquet hall into a Mardi Graus wonderland – actually we have been roaming around finding neat stuff to decorate with for weeks. And it all went together into a magic room with a full view of the Houston skyline at night – it was very very cool. Its a great day to get the little white flash washed on my way back home. Its simply a really great day. One that is screaming out for company and to be enoyed. See you later!!!! Crisis

Liz http://www.geocities.com/wellesley/7368 ‘I Love Lucy’ in hell, on acid

Response:

x-no-archive: yes

I am a good girl, I checked before I snipped the archive thingey. Took buford out for a stroll – the sun is bright and the air is not to hot – shirtsleeve weather. Neighbors are out tending to their contaner gardens. I pulled a few dead blooms offa the petunias and they are smiling and perky. I try to do something to help my garden everytime I leave of come home. Me too – I pass by and do a little pruning – check the water level.

If you were my neighbor you would probably think I am a little teched in the head. I go by and drop my morning banana peel next to a rose bush…an excellant source of potassium for the plants. Finally, my husband hired someone to dig up and weed around the front gardens. My son-in-law or grandson move stuff around for me when they are here that helps. They look so good and relieves me of the pressure. I plan to run out for plants after church tommorrow to put in groupings of flowers, fertilize the roses, and then water. I love my gardens, but school and work make it harder and harder to spend the time I used to. Something else is always there to be done, but I try to take the time because it is so relaxing. Its nice to sit out there in evening when I’m on the phone or just thinking about stuff.

When school is done after this semester, I will be able to return to my gardens. I get the same theraputic solice from gardening that you do. Buford found a pile of cat hair – and being the short sighted little guy that he is – thought it was a real cat and pounced playfully on it. Hee hee – embarrassment – no kitty. But he keeps trying to find one to play with. He sounds like a wonderful, overgrown, googus. He is – he makes me laugh…

Our cats, outside, come running up when we come home. They throw themselves in front of your and block your path so you have to pet them or pick them up. If you step around them they hurry up and run ahead again and aim right for your feet. Our cats insist on you paying attention to them. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have kitties all over and sometimes when they are hiding in the overgrown jungles of my gardens, they come tearing out there and look at me with great disgust because I turned the sprinkler on. They do tend to hide under the bushes that is the first place buford checks when we are outside – if he’s in a kitty hunting mood. Gots to go work with newbie voluteers – some of them were at the party last night and it was great to see the interact with the old-timers there. There was lots of healing talk and lots of love amongst the new hotline volunteers and the old time ones. A lot of people came who don’t answer the line anymore but still feel connected and still recruit volunteers and do some stuff. It was really cool to see them too. Your work sounds like it gives you a great deal of satisfaction. Volunteering is a wonderful thing to do – it has a lot of rewards that paid work could never match. It is satisfying – especially the teaching part, I enjoy that.

If you can express yourself to a live audience as well as you do here, they get thoroughly entertained in the process of learning. And most of the people there who do the training with me are old and close friends. That makes it doubly nice.

That is the ideal working conditions…..friends working together. I feel at home where I work, although I just began. That is such an important service and not always recognized, because it doesn’t make money. You and I will have to go to heaven without ever making the headlines, Crisis! But, the satisfaction is deep. Hee hee – I dunno.. but the banquet last night for to recognize the volunteers who had excelled and donated so much time and effort during last year. So many friends in one room and we planned it and worked so hard to put it together. There were five of us who worked for months to make it happen and the magic was actually in the interaction of all the volunteers coming to gether to honor each other and to have fun. It truly was a magic night.

I haven’t gone to a party in a long time, your place sounds like a good My knees and ankles gave out about an hour before I left, after all day of decorateing and I kept walking around talking looking drunk for goodness sake !!!! (hee hee saab)

She has infiltrated every person’s written words. I saw on another post that another didn’t think SAAB is an "independent" thinker and I snorted out loud. Of all the women on the ng Saabirah is a VERY independent thinker and a little crazy to boot. Anyone who would go off to a foreign land and join their religion, learn the language and live with total Not to mention she does art no else does and reads books most of us wouldn’t even pick up. She is a very talented, very individualized, very radical person. (She doesn’t even wear makeup, for goodness sakes! (whoops, now there I go)). and a friend of mine took my arm and just stuck with me so my footing was sure – he probably thinks I need to go on a diet, I was leaning on him. But I didn’t want to leave that magic. ,

I am glad you had a friend "to lean on" and got to stay the whole time. We worked all day turning a banquet hall into a Mardi Graus wonderland – actually we have been roaming around finding neat stuff to decorate with for weeks. And it all went together into a magic room with a full view of the Houston skyline at night – it was very very cool. Wonderful setting, I haven’t seen the Houston nightsky, except from my son’s backyard. He lives in Pearland on a gulf course, which gives him a BIG backyard. This was a tiny little banquet hall on the edge of downtown – it was a perfect setting. Pearland is beautiful, but man they get a lot of storms. Seems like tornados are required to stop at Pearland

I don’t think anyone told him about that! Maybe i won’t either. It has built up a great deal since he bought less than a year ago, and I think a giant shopping center is going in, which they will welcome. Its a great day to get the little white flash washed on my way back home. Its simply a really great day. One that is screaming out for company and to be enoyed. Thanks for that little snippet of your life, Chrisis. I hope you can experience it first hand Mary, and visit the hotline and see all the volunteers in action someday. Its truly magic.

The next time I go up there I will contact you, Chrisis. I am wondering if you and Panther are still able to come down here? Love ya

Ditto, Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Crisis Blessings and pleasure, Mary See you later!!!! Crisis — For more information about this posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: http://asarian-host.org/emailform.html

Response:

Took buford out for a stroll – the sun is bright and the air is not to hot – shirtsleeve weather. Neighbors are out tending to their contaner gardens. I pulled a few dead blooms offa the petunias and they are smiling and perky.

I try to do something to help my garden everytime I leave of come home. Finally, my husband hired someone to dig up and weed around the front gardens. They look so good and relieves me of the pressure. I plan to run out for plants after church tommorrow to put in groupings of flowers, fertilize the roses, and then water. I love my gardens, but school and work make it harder and harder to spend the time I used to. Buford found a pile of cat hair – and being the short sighted little guy that he is – thought it was a real cat and pounced playfully on it. Hee hee – embarrassment – no kitty. But he keeps trying to find one to play with.

He sounds like a wonderful, overgrown, googus. I have kitties all over and sometimes when they are hiding in the overgrown jungles of my gardens, they come tearing out there and look at me with great disgust because I turned the sprinkler on. Gots to go work with newbie voluteers – some of them were at the party last night and it was great to see the interact with the old-timers there. There was lots of healing talk and lots of love amongst the new hotline volunteers and the old time ones. A lot of people came who don’t answer the line anymore but still feel connected and still recruit volunteers and do some stuff. It was really cool to see them too.

Your work sounds like it gives you a great deal of satisfaction. That is such an important service and not always recognized, because it doesn’t make money. You and I will have to go to heaven without ever making the headlines, Crisis! But, the satisfaction is deep. We worked all day turning a banquet hall into a Mardi Graus wonderland – actually we have been roaming around finding neat stuff to decorate with for weeks. And it all went together into a magic room with a full view of the Houston skyline at night – it was very very cool.

Wonderful setting, I haven’t seen the Houston nightsky, except from my son’s backyard. He lives in Pearland on a gulf course, which gives him a BIG backyard. Its a great day to get the little white flash washed on my way back home. Its simply a really great day. One that is screaming out for company and to be enoyed.

Thanks for that little snippet of your life, Chrisis. Blessings and pleasure, Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – See you later!!!! Crisis

Response:

potato farming by proxy

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:03 +0000

Question:

oooops, i looked at it and i was thinking of a hedge hog… ouch for the spines of the porcupines !!!! now that i realize what they are… thanks phoenix — . ????? porcupines are vegitarians…they eat plants…unless they’re small

enough to pollinate my flowers i’ll let them stay in the wild where they belong and out of my carrot patch.. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – don’t mean to interfere but as you are gardening, do you know that you do want a porcupine in your garden??? those little animals are really good for a healthy garden!!! :) but i do understand the problem with the puppy… when Nina was younger she barked hours outside one night while it was freezing, and gosh i got annoyed, but usually after a short while she would just come back on her own, but not this time, so i put on some clothes and went to look for her… she was mad at a porcupine, so mad that she made a big hole in a circle around the animal who was standing at the top of that monticule…!!! i took her home, and i looked at her, she got a bit hurt but it seems more in the fact that she couldn’t get it…. she always kept her instinct of a hunter but she was hunting only wild animals… phoenix no gardening this year, because i’ve got to change house this month (the papers were signed yesterday) but i am worried about the flowers and plants i do want to bring with me…. worried also because the geese had babies, they are so cuuuuuute, but how to get them, and also one of the chiken is on the nest…. the moving is going to be really special !!!!!

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baking soda is a base..boric acid is a well..acid. they’re opposites. boric acid is a very mild acid that many people use as a foot soak. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is that the same as baking soda? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some products at the vets. I tried the tomato juice one time with Rusty – it didn’t work. Hi jeeco, how are ya !!!! Hopefully I won’t be the one to make the mix jeeco —

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the one who hasn’t eaten yet that day? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In article Wait till he finds a skunk. (Keep lots of tomato juice and clothes pens on hand.) Shar LOL, I loved that!!! And…..Andy is out turning over a portion of the garden for….what???? Yeah…..the potatoes!! oh, i wanna see tha potato…. oh, i am so scared to spell that word since dan q. love, t. LOL, yeah I know what you mean

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so far as i know canada doesn’t have lovely little hedgehogs except as pets. to the best of my knowledge they’re imported from england. the best we can hope for by putting out milk is a raccoon..or fox…or coyote…or mice..or rats (shudder) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – message de LOL, I loved that!!! And…..Andy is out turning over a portion of the garden for….what???? Yeah…..the potatoes!! oh, i wanna see tha potato…. oh, i am so scared to spell that word since dan q. love, t. LOL, yeah I know what you mean

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Thought you’d enjoy a nice sized small mouth bass. It was caught last fall. This year I’m going for pikerel and muskie.

Nice bass } I had a drainage problem on the farm, and it turned out that having a pond dug, using that dirt was the same cost as having dirt hauled in, or the necessarf fields tiled. You can guess which option I chose } And, I built the ex a gazebo in return for her otherwise reluctant agreement to let me take the dirt from the front yard. I used to cast from the front porch on rainy days, walk that wee bit to the pond’s edge on sunny ones } The other two are my new grandchildren this last year

Beautiful } And God, don’tcha love em? I only have one, though I’ve mentioned to my now single sons that I expect a new one every two or three years. Shucks, I’ll even try matchmaking. The one I do have, though, is a leg-warmer. Thru the front door, latch onto Grandpa’s leg, and the rest of the family see’s me again when she’s damned good and ready to let me go back to em } http://www.asarian-intl.org/fishing.html Panther

SpiritQuest

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – message de message de LOL, I loved that!!! And…..Andy is out turning over a portion of the garden for….what???? Yeah…..the potatoes!! oh, i wanna see tha potato…. oh, i am so scared to spell that word since dan q. love, t. LOL, yeah I know what you mean

so, that a gentle hedge hog decide to install his house around your garden and become your friend :) they also like one egg from time to time… phoenix

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Re the rabbits, we’re investing in some good fencing for around the garden. Most likely a combination of wood/wire/ and electric.

Rabbits dig, so keep that in mind when making a fence. Shar

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In article The farmers around my neighborhood in Vermont had tons of neat extras. One was really sweet one day. I was out trying to put in some fence posts and he drove by. He said, I’m just driving by and have an auger (or whatever they call it)attached. Would you like me to do a few holes for you? You never saw a bigger smile on my face!!

Before I got my own tractor, I’d get the odd farmer out plowing the dirt road many of us lived on, who would turn up my 250 foot driveway, clear the snow and just drive away without looking for thanks. Good folks! And, if you don’t have any local sources, I’ll be *glad* to talk about features and gadgets whenever you do start to buy. I talk tractor the same way some guys talk football, with enthusiasm. Of course, I’ll suffer from "tractor envy" if you *do* get one, but I’ll cope } Well when we’re ready I’ll pick your brain

There’s a great free publication called "Farmers Hotline" which is an equipment catalog combined with used tractors for sale all over. Dunno how to subscribe any more, but I bet you can find it on the web. Panther

Oooooh! Better than pinups! :)} Well, OK, at least "damn near as good" :)} SpiritQuest

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Wait till he finds a skunk. (Keep lots of tomato juice and clothes pens on hand.) Shar

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – LOL, I loved that!!! And…..Andy is out turning over a portion of the garden for….what???? Yeah…..the potatoes!! oh, i wanna see tha potato…. oh, i am so scared to spell that word since dan q. love, t. LOL, yeah I know what you mean

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – message de LOL, I loved that!!! And…..Andy is out turning over a portion of the garden for….what???? Yeah…..the potatoes!! oh, i wanna see tha potato…. oh, i am so scared to spell that word since dan q. love, t. LOL, yeah I know what you mean

hey, i never said that i knew lots of things !!!! i am discovering everydays … but if you like to have a hedge hog in your garden you can put a plate with some milk in the middle of your garden… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – but maybe there are ways to keep them at distance other than only shoting them? if the native peoples makes such nice things, maybe some might know if there are alternatives to keep them away, some plants they might particularly diskile the smell… I doubt it will have that fate - well not unless I develop a taste for porcupine stew. If they really get to be a nuisance we’ll most likely trap it and drop it off someplace else.

that’s nice and gentle ..!!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – the rabbits are a bother but i must recognize that i have two solutions here, one of my dog and my cat are hunters and catch them…. otherwise here i have deers in the garden, of course the dogs are having fun chasing and barking at them, but someone discovered that they disliked the color blue, so i bought some paint for the well to make it blue and also some different flowers all blue to make on the side they are coming from, a woman i know off use hairs that she puts in small stokings packages and put around her garden, because they dislike human smell…. That’s interesting about the blue color – weird! In reading I did discover that with the porcupine they LOVE wood that has been touched by humans. They crave the salt (guess when your hands sweat). Re the rabbits, we’re investing in some good fencing for around the garden. Most likely a combination of wood/wire/ and electric.

yes, but the rabbits might very well go under the wire…. the only thing i had about a way to avoid them from the garden is to dig a trough around the garden and to fill it with broken pieces of cans, irons or glass, they suggest to make it 20 cm wide and 40 cm deep…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – there are very often alternatives and some can be fun… sorry for your dog and you, all that has been finally painful for all of you out there including the porcupine … Well so far the porcupine is the only one who has not felt the pain

seems like Spike has lots of very interesting adventures in his life, sound great and it must be fun also to see…. i am glad you are enjoying him phoenix — "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

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Actually that is a terrific idea. I forgot about that but it certainly helped when I first moved to Vermont (was just starting to raise sheep at the time). The farmers were so funny too! There seems to be a few farms down a ways from our place Maybe when they are finished with their mowing and haying they might like to till ours? Some of the farmers in Vermont around us did that for extra cash. Panther

Betcha you’d be surprised at the prices on used tractors. One like the one you’d need for a place your size oughta come in about 1-2000 bucks. Where I live (and I doubt that it’s unique) has dealers for the older tractors who give you a pretty good 1 year warranty on the ones that they have rebuilt, since they don’t want to be known as selling bad stuff, and they usually bought it from a farmer who is "moving up" to newer or often larger equipment. Besides, there’s just something about owning your own tractor } SpiritQuest Allis-Chalmers WD45 vintage 1960’s

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In article Besides, there’s just something about owning your own tractor } SpiritQuest Allis-Chalmers WD45 vintage 1960’s We do have a Deere outlet or two within a fifty mile radius and I think sooner or later we’ll have to invest in one. At this stage we need EVERYTHING! I think before we out and out purchase one we’ll have to see how our experimental garden goes. A couple of horses are on our list also for a year or two down the line (lots of fences to build)

I always wanted to find a reason to buy a bobcat. I had a frontloader for the tractor, but bobcats get into small places and turns so much better. And, the fences are *excellent* reasons for getting a tractor. The augers that go on the back can put down holes in a flash. And, if you don’t have any local sources, I’ll be *glad* to talk about features and gadgets whenever you do start to buy. I talk tractor the same way some guys talk football, with enthusiasm. Of course, I’ll suffer from "tractor envy" if you *do* get one, but I’ll cope } SpiritQuest jammin gears

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hehehehe. this is cute.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Love it. If it was a New England farm it would be a fantastic example of Yankee ingenuity! jeeco An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament – Dear Bubba, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. A few days later he received a letter from his son – Dear Dad, for heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up that garden, that’s where I buried the BODIES. Love Bubba At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Dad, Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. ….Love Bubba Ask me about HOPE for kids. No, really, *ask* *me*!!!! http://www.hopeworldwide.org — For more information about this NNTP posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: https://asarian-host.net/cgi-bin/signup.cgi

Response:

as i said i make a mistake and thought about hedge hog… it’s indeed not the same thing… but maybe there are ways to keep them at distance other than only shoting them? if the native peoples makes such nice things, maybe some might know if there are alternatives to keep them away, some plants they might particularly diskile the smell… the rabbits are a bother but i must recognize that i have two solutions here, one of my dog and my cat are hunters and catch them…. otherwise here i have deers in the garden, of course the dogs are having fun chasing and barking at them, but someone discovered that they disliked the color blue, so i bought some paint for the well to make it blue and also some different flowers all blue to make on the side they are coming from, a woman i know off use hairs that she puts in small stokings packages and put around her garden, because they dislike human smell…. there are very often alternatives and some can be fun… sorry for your dog and you, all that has been finally painful for all of you out there including the porcupine … phoenix

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talk to the farmers around you. ask them who’s a reputable dealer. you can bet that anyone who cheats a farmer will be out of business tout suite. if you’re not using a tractor a lot rental will probably be more economical..or perhaps a labour exchange with a neighbour… naomi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When we rented the bobcat and a rototiller last year to do some of the lanes, gardens etc. The garden is fairly large and at this stage is more experimental to see what works best. We’ll then do some larger crops next year. My quess is we’ll have to rent a tractor or purchase one then. We have 35 acres which we could till when we decide. We are trying grapes also and I’m hoping they work out nice. The John Deere’s run a little less cost wise in comparison to the Internations doesn’t it? I’m wary of purchasing something second hand because you really don’t know if it will work properly Panther if’n you’re doing a large dig out perhaps using a plow? if it’s smaller going over the ground a few times with a rototiller would work…or is the plow what the bobcat is? i’m used to the brands of "john deere" and "international harvester" for that sort of work I kinda expect that the dillos prefer warm weather too

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I think Edith’s roses may have made it through the first winter! Not sure about one though.

Edith’s roses? kewl! azure, sentimental softy

Response:

if’n you’re doing a large dig out perhaps using a plow? if it’s smaller going over the ground a few times with a rototiller would work…or is the plow what the bobcat is? i’m used to the brands of "john deere" and "international harvester" for that sort of work – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I kinda expect that the dillos prefer warm weather too

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we have a plethora of the rodents here…the gopher hunt has already started… i’m sure the premier will be happy to ship out say…5 or 10 million – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggested to Andy that if we want the garden dug up then we should get a few pigs, place them where we want our next garden and let them go to work.

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????? porcupines are vegitarians…they eat plants…unless they’re small enough to pollinate my flowers i’ll let them stay in the wild where they belong and out of my carrot patch.. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – don’t mean to interfere but as you are gardening, do you know that you do want a porcupine in your garden??? those little animals are really good for a healthy garden!!! :) but i do understand the problem with the puppy… when Nina was younger she barked hours outside one night while it was freezing, and gosh i got annoyed, but usually after a short while she would just come back on her own, but not this time, so i put on some clothes and went to look for her… she was mad at a porcupine, so mad that she made a big hole in a circle around the animal who was standing at the top of that monticule…!!! i took her home, and i looked at her, she got a bit hurt but it seems more in the fact that she couldn’t get it…. she always kept her instinct of a hunter but she was hunting only wild animals… phoenix no gardening this year, because i’ve got to change house this month (the papers were signed yesterday) but i am worried about the flowers and plants i do want to bring with me…. worried also because the geese had babies, they are so cuuuuuute, but how to get them, and also one of the chiken is on the nest…. the moving is going to be really special !!!!!

Response:

Love it. If it was a New England farm it would be a fantastic example of Yankee ingenuity!

yeah, we yanks ain’t that dumb, is we? peas, t. of embies jeeco

[farming joke snipped] Ask me about HOPE for kids. No, really, *ask* *me*!!!! http://www.hopeworldwide.org — For more information about this posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: https://asarian-host.net/cgi-bin/signup.cgi

Response:

don’t mean to interfere but as you are gardening, do you know that you do want a porcupine in your garden??? those little animals are really good for a healthy garden!!! :) but i do understand the problem with the puppy… when Nina was younger she barked hours outside one night while it was freezing, and gosh i got annoyed, but usually after a short while she would just come back on her own, but not this time, so i put on some clothes and went to look for her… she was mad at a porcupine, so mad that she made a big hole in a circle around the animal who was standing at the top of that monticule…!!! i took her home, and i looked at her, she got a bit hurt but it seems more in the fact that she couldn’t get it…. she always kept her instinct of a hunter but she was hunting only wild animals… phoenix no gardening this year, because i’ve got to change house this month (the papers were signed yesterday) but i am worried about the flowers and plants i do want to bring with me…. worried also because the geese had babies, they are so cuuuuuute, but how to get them, and also one of the chiken is on the nest…. the moving is going to be really special !!!!!

Response:

LOL, I loved that!!! And…..Andy is out turning over a portion of the garden for….what???? Yeah…..the potatoes!!

oh, i wanna see tha potato…. oh, i am so scared to spell that word since dan q. love, t. Ask me about HOPE for kids. No, really, *ask* *me*!!!! http://www.hopeworldwide.org — For more information about this posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: https://asarian-host.net/cgi-bin/signup.cgi

Response:

Love it. If it was a New England farm it would be a fantastic example of Yankee ingenuity! jeeco

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament – Dear Bubba, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. A few days later he received a letter from his son – Dear Dad, for heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up that garden, that’s where I buried the BODIES. Love Bubba At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Dad, Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. ….Love Bubba Ask me about HOPE for kids. No, really, *ask* *me*!!!! http://www.hopeworldwide.org

– For more information about this NNTP posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: https://asarian-host.net/cgi-bin/signup.cgi

Response:

I love it! — Life: A board game, a magazine, a cellular automaton, and a cereal.

Response:

An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament – Dear Bubba, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. A few days later he received a letter from his son – Dear Dad, for heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up that garden, that’s where I buried the BODIES. Love Bubba At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Dad, Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. ….Love Bubba Ask me about HOPE for kids. No, really, *ask* *me*!!!! http://www.hopeworldwide.org — For more information about this posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: https://asarian-host.net/cgi-bin/signup.cgi

Response:

what kind of exercise do you do and how often?

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:41:00 +0000

Question:

Roberta 210/121 (LC since 1/96, maintaining since Spring of ‘98, and shopping for a kayak…)

roberta, your numbers are incredible! sporting equipment drops, BIG TIME! rosie

Response:

I find I lose more weight if I exercise. And it makes me feel better. And its fun. I play active tennis about 3-4 times/week. I know some dont consider this good exercise, but its fun and I like it. I also play golf periodically. And I like to walk. When I walk, I dont really care about distance, but time walking. I find this easier to monitor since I like walking through neighborhoods looking at peoples plants and gardens. And, oh yes, I like gardening. And yes, it is exercise. I enjoy it so much I can do it for hours and find only my hunger drives me indoors to eat. uselle

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And I like to walk. When I walk, I dont really care about distance, but time walking. I find this easier to monitor since I like walking through neighborhoods looking at peoples plants and gardens. And, oh yes, I like gardening. And yes, it is exercise. I enjoy it so much I can do it for hours and find only my hunger drives me indoors to eat. uselle

A lady after my own heart! Anybody who doesn’t think gardening is exercise can come over to my house– and dig holes 1 foot square and 1.5 foot deep in clay soil– and prune– and weed– and weed– and dig more holes (smaller this time)– and weed– and weed– and rake away dead leaves– and weed– and weed– Boy do I hate Bermuda grass!!!!! In another thread, the poster said she gardened without gloves. My hands would be ripped to shreds in 15 minutes if I tried that. But garden-fresh zucchini, basil and (well, only a few) tomatoes are worth all the pain! DahliaLady (did I mention how much I hate weeding?) 155/143/130 since 3-15-99 DH 234/207/195? alt.support.diet.low-carb FAQ: http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc Blaise Pascal’s excuse for his verbose letters: "I have only made this [letter] longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter."

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: Roberta, WOW!!!! Thanks! BTW, love your login; Dogbert is my hero. : You know, I always wanted a simple row boat…. Then go for it! Rowing is great exercise. My problem is, I like to see where I’m going , so I used to prefer canoeing. But that was a couple of decades ago; dunno if my knees could handle more than a couple of hours of it, now. Ah, the joys of midlife…FWIW, though, I found kayaking to be a better all-around upper body workout. Paddling properly, you pull with one arm while pushing with the other, so it works both biceps and triceps (as well as back and shoulders). Anything that works the triceps is A-Ok with me. Just MHO, but, if you like rowing, I’d highly recommend at least giving kayaking a try; you may find yourself hooked, like I did. There are some really nice kayaks that don’t cost much more than rowboats, if I recall my rowboat prices correctly. And, lucky me, I found a store here in NJ (recommended by the friend who introduced me to the sport) that claims the largest on-hand inventory in the country: over 1000 boaks (kayaks and canoes). Their prices are fantastic, well below MSRP… and the ones on sale are lower than most of the prices I’ve seen folks asking for used kayaks. And, to top it off, they encourage you to "test paddle" them in the pond across the street…Guess what I’ll be doing, first chance I get? ObLowCarb: FWIW, I didn’t find it necessary to increase my carbs at all, either during or after the 3 hours of kayaking. (I’m at maintenance weight, but I still eat practically induction level, since that’s what I like. ) It took me a while to get used to prolonged exercise with this WOE, but then, I had no capacity for exercise at all, back in my high-carb days. The only adjustment I find helpful when I’m doing a long day of strenuous exercise, is to increase my potassium, which I usually accomplish by adding about a quarter tsp of Morton’s NoSalt to a quart of KoolAid or Crystal Light. I alternate drinking this concoction and plain water (lots and lots of it), and it seems to keep me going forever. : Hugh : 311/broke scale/220 June 20 99 Best wishes to you – I’ll be watching to see you getting to goal. It may seem like a long way off, but it’ll be here before you know it! Roberta 210/121 (According to the stats on some of the kayaks I was looking at, I’m too *light* to paddle them??? Never thought I’d see that happen!)

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hello everyone,

Hi Laura, love your name. =) .i’m just a little curious as to the activity levels of those in the group and what exercise do you find most beneficial.

Well, as someone who once believed that walking out to the car was plenty of exercise, I’m now weightlifting 3 to 4 times a week. I started out with the 1, 3 and 5 lb teal dumbbells (I put that in just for Steve’s sake

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My exercise is to either walk 3-4 miles or bike everyday-weather permitting or walk the malls if weather is lousy. I do floor exercises every morning and lift weights every other day. Doing some rollerblading too. ^–^ Cathy {‘ . ‘} ` My web page: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/8060/index.html Hope for Cysters: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/8060/PCOS.html

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: Sure sounds like a great store! We got a river here that people love to : kayak in. What I’d like to do though is just put up my fishing pole, and : row around trolling in one of our lakes:) Nothing fancy, and all muscle There are kayaks that would be perfect for that, too. : powered he he. Right now too many obligations coming up though, but I’ll do : it! : Thanks too for all the info:) Sounds like you really jumped into life : there! I call it my midlife crisis. About the time I turned 40 (2 years ago), I took up downhill mountain biking and tried skydiving (another thing I’d like to get into on a regular basis). This year, kayaking (and hopefully skiing this winter); next year, who knows? Maybe hang gliding… Just wish I’d done all this 20 years ago! Roberta

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Sure sounds like a great store! We got a river here that people love to kayak in. What I’d like to do though is just put up my fishing pole, and row around trolling in one of our lakes:) Nothing fancy, and all muscle powered he he. Right now too many obligations coming up though, but I’ll do it! Thanks too for all the info:) Sounds like you really jumped into life there! Hugh 311/291/220 June 20 99

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : Roberta, WOW!!!! Thanks! BTW, love your login; Dogbert is my hero. : You know, I always wanted a simple row boat…. Then go for it! Rowing is great exercise. My problem is, I like to see where I’m going , so I used to prefer canoeing. But that was a couple of decades ago; dunno if my knees could handle more than a couple of hours of it, now. Ah, the joys of midlife…FWIW, though, I found kayaking to be a better all-around upper body workout. Paddling properly, you pull with one arm while pushing with the other, so it works both biceps and triceps (as well as back and shoulders). Anything that works the triceps is A-Ok with me. Just MHO, but, if you like rowing, I’d highly recommend at least giving kayaking a try; you may find yourself hooked, like I did. There are some really nice kayaks that don’t cost much more than rowboats, if I recall my rowboat prices correctly. And, lucky me, I found a store here in NJ (recommended by the friend who introduced me to the sport) that claims the largest on-hand inventory in the country: over 1000 boaks (kayaks and canoes). Their prices are fantastic, well below MSRP… and the ones on sale are lower than most of the prices I’ve seen folks asking for used kayaks. And, to top it off, they encourage you to "test paddle" them in the pond across the street…Guess what I’ll be doing, first chance I get? ObLowCarb: FWIW, I didn’t find it necessary to increase my carbs at all, either during or after the 3 hours of kayaking. (I’m at maintenance weight, but I still eat practically induction level, since that’s what I like. ) It took me a while to get used to prolonged exercise with this WOE, but then, I had no capacity for exercise at all, back in my high-carb days. The only adjustment I find helpful when I’m doing a long day of strenuous exercise, is to increase my potassium, which I usually accomplish by adding about a quarter tsp of Morton’s NoSalt to a quart of KoolAid or Crystal Light. I alternate drinking this concoction and plain water (lots and lots of it), and it seems to keep me going forever. : Hugh : 311/broke scale/220 June 20 99 Best wishes to you – I’ll be watching to see you getting to goal. It may seem like a long way off, but it’ll be here before you know it! Roberta 210/121 (According to the stats on some of the kayaks I was looking at, I’m too *light* to paddle them??? Never thought I’d see that happen!)

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: Roberta, do you have a before/after picture to share? Sort of…I have a bunch of pics on my website: http://www.gti.net/wombat . Under the section of "pics of me", there’s my nursing class graduation picture (summer of 95, somewhere over 200 lbs); I’m on the far right, in the back row (sort of looks like I’m third from the right, but the other two are really in the row ahead of me); later on, there’s a mug shot from the gym (last summer) and last is a shot my cycling/kayaking/ shooting buddy took on a downhill mountain biking outing last month. (I’m about to head down a serious hill, and kind of blurry, but I like that one because it disproves the stereotype of NJ as nothing but cities, refineries and the NJ Turnpike. ) : MarkieZ : 206/194/150 : day 17 : Roberta : 210/121 (LC since 1/96, maintaining since Spring of ‘98, and shopping : for a kayak…)

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Roberta, do you have a before/after picture to share? MarkieZ 206/194/150 day 17 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Roberta 210/121 (LC since 1/96, maintaining since Spring of ‘98, and shopping for a kayak…) roberta, your numbers are incredible! sporting equipment drops, BIG TIME! rosie

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Laura asked about exercise . . . I exercise a lot. I didn’t for a long time on Atkins, but now that I’ve lost 40 pounds and joined the Y I exercise almost every day, particularly since my company is doing a cardiovascular "Exercise Across America" thingy and I’m on a team and our time exercising counts toward miles . . . you get the picture. Months ago, I started out w/NordicTrack, which I have in my basement, and did this for 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week until I built up my stamina on the low-carb regimen. Now I do at least 50 minutes every night, or at least 5 nights a week, on anything from NordicTrack, Concept II rower at the Y, jogging, etc. I have two dogs and walk them three or four times a day. I have the time to do all this and I realize others don’t, but I am currently stuck at a particular weight and even though I do not go above 20-25 carbs per day, the scale isn’t moving, so I am trying to jump-start my body by burning as much as possible. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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A friend of mine has come up with a pedal powered paddle wheel setup for his canoe. He sits back, as on a recumbent bike and pedals along. The thing has a front mounted rudder for maneuverability and he is loving it. The thing isn’t completely sorted out yet, but it’s gonna be great. He gets a LOT of looks and questions. Great concept. He’ll probably publish plans. ROn

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hello everyone, well i know for darn sure that just eating low-carb is not gonna do it for me and that i need to get up and get my butt in gear.i’m just a little curious as to the activity levels of those in the group and what exercise do you find most beneficial. i have been walking 2 miles a night for the last week(i’ll increase the length of my walks slowly)and i just started the intro tae-bo video.what do you guys enjoy? laura

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laura, i try to walk or bike one mile daily! not alot, but all i am willing to do right now! — and it keeps your ATTITUDE ADJUSTED! rosie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – hello everyone, well i know for darn sure that just eating low-carb is not gonna do it for me and that i need to get up and get my butt in gear.i’m just a little curious as to the activity levels of those in the group and what exercise do you find most beneficial. i have been walking 2 miles a night for the last week(i’ll increase the length of my walks slowly)and i just started the intro tae-bo video.what do you guys enjoy? laura

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hello everyone, well i know for darn sure that just eating low-carb is not gonna do it for me and that i need to get up and get my butt in gear.

A wise decision, on that all should follow. i’m just a little curious as to the activity levels of those in the group and what exercise do you find most beneficial.

I lift weights (heavy ones, not the 5# pink ones) 3 times/week. The other days of the week I do 30 minutes on the tredmill. Twice a week I do "stadium stairs" in the stairwell column at work. This involves charging up several flights of stairs, walk briskly back down them, charge back up, repeat until you collapse on the landing. i have been walking 2 miles a night for the last week(i’ll increase the length of my walks slowly)and i just started the intro tae-bo video.what do you guys enjoy? laura

Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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I work out at the gym 5 days a week, usually three on, one off, two on, one off. This way I never take more than one day off. (unless I have a really busy weekend, but then I always do try anyway!) When I am there, I do 45 minutes of cardio on the Eliptical Trainer (which I couldn’t do before I lost weight) and then I add weight 3 times a week. Sometimes I only get them in twice. I think cardio is very important in losing and maintaining! Victoria 230-148-145 lc since 2-9-96

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The exercise routine that got me where I am today consisted of multiple elbow bends (hand to mouth) with weights (many grams of carbohydrates) followed by a rousing game of bridge. I started this WOE when I decided this had to stop. I am in an intermediate place right now, with my old routine gone (for good, I hope) but nothing to replace it. Right now, I am losing well with no exercise, but I plan to start getting more active as soon as the rain stops (I feel THAT good on this WOE). But, since I still have wrecked knees, and exercise continues to be pretty painful, I think that gentle walking is the place to start for me – specifically birding, since the frequent pauses will be welcome. I’ll let you know how I get on… Tina 304/289/150 Atkins since June 28 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – hello everyone, well i know for darn sure that just eating low-carb is not gonna do it for me and that i need to get up and get my butt in gear.i’m just a little curious as to the activity levels of those in the group and what exercise do you find most beneficial. i have been walking 2 miles a night for the last week(i’ll increase the length of my walks slowly)and i just started the intro tae-bo video.what do you guys enjoy? laura

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I do weight lifting (high reps, low weights) every other day and swing a 20-pound modified golf club every day for 1 hour. The weight-lifting is a recent addition (for bad back), so it is hard to say if it is doing any good. I also walk ~9 miles a week (golf 3 times). I believe the exercise is helping my LC diet. — John JB LC 4/10/99 240/213/180 Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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: hello everyone, : well i know for darn sure that just eating : low-carb is not gonna do it for me and that i need : to get up and get my butt in gear.i’m just a FWIW, some folks do lose all their weight just from the change in dietary habits. Dunno if I would have, or if it would have taken a lot longer, or what; like you, I incorporated exercise into my lifestyle change, and I think it helped. And the beauty of LC is that the new eating habits helped my energy levels and endurance, enabling me to exercise more than I ever had in my life. : little curious as to the activity levels of those : in the group and what exercise do you find most : beneficial. i have been walking 2 miles a night : for the last week(i’ll increase the length of my : walks slowly)and i just started the intro tae-bo : video.what do you guys enjoy? : laura I started with walking, about 3 miles/day on my lunch hour. At first, that seemed like *quite* enough! But before long, I found myself going further and further, getting less tired and enjoying it more. My standard lunch time walk these days is 5-6 miles, and sometimes I still have to force myself to come back to work instead of just keeping going. For me, the next logical progression was cycling. I started out doing a little road riding, and, over the course of a year, worked up to where my standard ride is about 40 miles (+/- 20 miles or so depending on who I’m with, how much time I have, etc.) And, for variety, I do some mountain biking – downhilling as often as possible, though there aren’t too many ski resorts here that run the lifts for bikes. Since all my "fun" exercise was geared toward lower body workouts, I started doing upper-body resistance work. I love the way it makes me feel, but I find myself getting a tad bored. However, I think I’ve found my new, super-fun upper body exercise: kayaking! I went out with a friend on Tuesday, and spent 3 hours paddling around a nearby reservoir. It was great, and, at the pace we were going, it was a terrific workout, too. (And it was *so* much fun to prove wrong his prediction that I wouldn’t last more than an hour or 2; that resistance work was good preparation. ) I think you hit on the key in your last sentence. I find that the single biggest factor in staying motivated, is doing things I enjoy. (I’ve always hated the phrase "working out"; sounds like such drudgery. I much prefer to get out and "play".) The best workout in the world is no good if you can’t bring yourself to stick to it. Try lots of things, and find the ones you enjoy. Good for the body, and good for the soul. Roberta 210/121 (LC since 1/96, maintaining since Spring of ‘98, and shopping for a kayak…)

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Roberta, WOW!!!! You know, I always wanted a simple row boat…. Hugh 311/broke scale/220 June 20 99

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : hello everyone, : well i know for darn sure that just eating : low-carb is not gonna do it for me and that i need : to get up and get my butt in gear.i’m just a FWIW, some folks do lose all their weight just from the change in dietary habits. Dunno if I would have, or if it would have taken a lot longer, or what; like you, I incorporated exercise into my lifestyle change, and I think it helped. And the beauty of LC is that the new eating habits helped my energy levels and endurance, enabling me to exercise more than I ever had in my life. : little curious as to the activity levels of those : in the group and what exercise do you find most : beneficial. i have been walking 2 miles a night : for the last week(i’ll increase the length of my : walks slowly)and i just started the intro tae-bo : video.what do you guys enjoy? : laura I started with walking, about 3 miles/day on my lunch hour. At first, that seemed like *quite* enough! But before long, I found myself going further and further, getting less tired and enjoying it more. My standard lunch time walk these days is 5-6 miles, and sometimes I still have to force myself to come back to work instead of just keeping going. For me, the next logical progression was cycling. I started out doing a little road riding, and, over the course of a year, worked up to where my standard ride is about 40 miles (+/- 20 miles or so depending on who I’m with, how much time I have, etc.) And, for variety, I do some mountain biking – downhilling as often as possible, though there aren’t too many ski resorts here that run the lifts for bikes. Since all my "fun" exercise was geared toward lower body workouts, I started doing upper-body resistance work. I love the way it makes me feel, but I find myself getting a tad bored. However, I think I’ve found my new, super-fun upper body exercise: kayaking! I went out with a friend on Tuesday, and spent 3 hours paddling around a nearby reservoir. It was great, and, at the pace we were going, it was a terrific workout, too. (And it was *so* much fun to prove wrong his prediction that I wouldn’t last more than an hour or 2; that resistance work was good preparation. ) I think you hit on the key in your last sentence. I find that the single biggest factor in staying motivated, is doing things I enjoy. (I’ve always hated the phrase "working out"; sounds like such drudgery. I much prefer to get out and "play".) The best workout in the world is no good if you can’t bring yourself to stick to it. Try lots of things, and find the ones you enjoy. Good for the body, and good for the soul. Roberta 210/121 (LC since 1/96, maintaining since Spring of ‘98, and shopping for a kayak…)

Gardening the Garden

Getting into salad!

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RANT! Fat People *Belong* In A Gym!!

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don't laugh at me too much, ok?

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Hydroponic Gardening question

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O.T. — I am leaving for a while

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To Liz (and other gardeners) OT

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RANT! Fat People Belong In A Gym!!