Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book #2

 Woot! Looky there! I am already finished framing the 2nd Blog Book. I decided to get a jump start on this one and avoid any pitfalls that could arise from not being quite prepared. If you know me, you know I like (OK, I'm obsessed with) planning. I like to say my plans have plans, my notes have notes, and it's not far off to say I begin preplanning before I even have a plan to plan. It's part of my make up, my DNA, I come from a long line of schemers; planners. It's what we do. 

My first Blog Book, "Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book" will be out in June 2021, so I need to get the 2nd book ready to be sent off to the publisher (today is April 29, 2021) so that when the 1st one hits the stands in June the 2nd book will be right on it's heels; ready to be distributed within a few months. I'll wait for the release date to be somewhere around the end of November, both to celebrate my birthday, and to be marketed for holiday purchases. Who wouldn't want a downloadable or physical Blog Book for Christmas? It's fun just thinking about thinking about it.

The first Blog Book has about 104 blogs, 12 poems, 90+ photos, and I do a lot of talking about the kids. In the 2nd book I've devoted more time and pages to people I've met, people I've not met but would love to, people I have worked with, grew up with, admired, and even purchased music from - - I won't say I'm their friend, but I can at least claim to be a client, right? If I want to write about them, or how I feel about their music - - I will. I want to share the joy, share the love, share the opinions, and make people gasp at the same time. It's a win-win!  This book also has about the same amount of blogs, photos, and poems in it, but this time I will try to use all of my own photos with the exception of the musical artists who/whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting in person -- I'll use copyrighted PAID FOR photos for those. (Can you see me smirking? I'm actually giggling a little too...just because)

Many of the poems I've chosen are from my poetry book "Periwinkle", it was written in 2006, I think. I'll have to go look.  Some of the poems I wrote this year, and more than one has been written with Naked Bearded Man in my mind at the time. I need to just break down and write an Ode to Naked Bearded Man, but I'm not sure any of my readers could actually take in all the passion and fury I have for the man - - I could be banned in several countries and the Baptist Convention may never let me step foot inside another church again! Oh, don't worry, Jesus still loves me. Besides, there's no sin in my mind if I'm married to the man in my fantasies - - oh, she went there!  

Well, that's about it, I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. I'm personally cooking dinner for Laura and I; beaten chicken breasts with spinach, cheese, butter and spices rolled up and baked. I'm serving coconut rice infused with flaxseed because she needs it and has no idea I'm doing it. Unless she reads this blog, which I know she won't, she will never know her mother has been secretly forcing her to eat well -- please don't spoil my fun. Let her think she's slacking! She's a grown ass woman and should be taking care of her own palate. 

LOVE TO YOU - - more to come. Thank you again.  

Farewell Good Baeleigh.

 God has been so very wonderful to us in the past. He has given us some amazing animals to share our lives with, and I am so appreciative. In the spring of 2012, Laura and I were on our way to a small rural township just west of Indianapolis, Indiana, where we were to pick up two free horses. The two of us being horse rescue types, we naturally agreed to take the two very healthy, but older geldings. They needed to stay together, and we were the perfect pair for that! Upon arriving at the barn it was obvious that the owner had a few more furry faces than he needed to, or wanted to, keep up with; his mama cat had given birth to five babies just a few weeks back and she only had two that had survived being born in a barn where hawks and owls roost, and one poor baby had been trampled by one of the horses.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going to happen next, I'm just glad Laura only took one of the babies; not both of them -- and the mother cat! Laura can be that way.

Horses loaded, kitten tucked away inside Laura's hoodie, we were good to go.  Little one ended up being a "Sylvester" tuxedo cat, my personal favorite, although I would have been just fine if Laura had chosen the other one, which was also a perfectly tuxedoed cat, only his coloring was more mocha than gray.  Laura wanted a female, so a female was taken!  I remember naming her Baeleigh and giving her the spelling closest to my own middle name of Leigh, saying to myself that she may have been born in a barn, but she can have a regal name. Born in a barn, raised in the house, and spoiled absolutely rotten to the core.  Baeleigh ended up being my cat rather than Laura's; it's funny how the animals decide for themselves who it is they will allow being their servant; she chose well. I cater to fur faces, she must have figured that out pretty quickly.  Bae Bae was indeed (and in deed) my kitty.

Always the perfect queen, Bae would never allow another feline to enter her space without permission. Her hiss was strong, forceful, and she had a thing that she did with her head when she made the noise; she would lift up her face into the sky and hiss-snort, it was apparently effective until it was not. For years Bae ruled our home, walked the halls with her small, elegant frame, commanding the bubble in front of her, beside her, behind her, even above her, she had her space and no dog, no cat, and often no human, was allowed to enter without her specifically allowing it. Bae slept with me but rarely cuddled. She again, allowed me to pet her when she wanted to be petted, but I must stop when she gave that order as well. She slept on top of my keyboard and no, I wasn't allowed to type if she was on it. I simply had to wait. She made it perfectly clear that she was queen - - again until she wasn't.

About a year ago we noticed that Bae's authority had dwindled and she became more and more dependent on us. She was actually seeking attention, asking for help, and wanting to be held. This was odd behavior for her, so of course, we traveled to Dr. Sam Crosby Sr., our small animal vet (not to be confused with his son Dr. Sammy Crosby, Jr., our horse vet).  Dr. Crosby suggested medication and steroids, he put her on a routine diet, hoping it was just kitty depression, but as time wore on Bae developed a fungus-type abrasion on her face which spread to her eyes, up onto her ears, and finally her chest and arms. We tried EVERYTHING possible, but nothing seemed to ease her itching, her pain, her misery. It became apparent when she was no longer able to breathe, that there had to be something more permanent to do for her. We cried, but it was the best decision.

After 18 months of searching for answers, paying for tests, running the cat back and forth to see her vet hoping for a miracle; today was the day he finally told us that the best thing we could do for Baeleigh is to let her go see George. His words.  He knew how much that little weenie dog meant to me; he cried too when he had to send him off to see Jesus last year around this same time.  George and Bae were a pair too; both laying on top of one another, vying for the best post on the bed, looking for the right wrinkle in the comforter to lay in, and then pushing the other out of the way to get into that fold a bit better.  George always, and I mean always, gave in to Baeleigh. Baeleigh is the queen! George never stood a chance. He considered himself very lucky to have been in her space at all. She silently grinned to herself; he kept her back warm. He had his place.

Today was the day Jesus called His kitten home; she was only 9 years old, but she was ready to go. She was willing to fight for a few more breaths to allow us time to say goodbye. She never really accepted our farewell, choosing rather to lift her face up to the sky to say "I'm ready, send me home".  She will be missed and she will be loved all at the same time. If I could give George anything right now, I believe I gave him the best thing possible; his best friend in the world.  Rest well sweet kitty, see you soon. 

"There's This Woman" (It Always Starts out That Way)

You know it's going to be a great story when a guy leads off with, "See, there's this woman," and then the next thing he inevitably does, without even realizing that he does it, he shakes his head just a little, pulls his pointed finger into a clenched fist, shakes that too, and he says something else. You know the story will take a dive when he stops shaking his head and stares straight at you - - she pissed that man straight off, and he's about to tell you all about it. Grab another hot strong cup of coffee friend, you're gonna need it. 

She lives under the same moon as you and I do. She's there every night, and it doesn't matter where she actually lives, she lives rent-free in his mind. She's inside of him, she's all over him, he can't break away, and really deep down, maybe he doesn't even want to. He just needs to tell you all about her and why she drives him absolutely bonkers! She's bonkers! That's why he's feeling so angry - - he's in love, but he doesn't really want to be; at least that's what he tells himself and I guess, now he's telling anyone who will listen to him rant. 

Chris Isaak has a song about her too - - Wicked Games; goes something like this:  

"The world was on fire and no one could save me but you 
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do 
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you 
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you" 

Yes, what a wicked thing she did, she made him fall in love. What a wicked dream, a wicked chase, a wicked thought, but is it really all that wicked? Maybe it's true; maybe it's just that burning so deep and so completely consuming that hatred for himself is what he's really feeling; she has very little to do with it, but his imagination (his desire) for her does have everything to do with the way he comes back to the same story he started a dozen times but just couldn't quite finish because every time he does come to the base point, another thought about her springs up and takes him completely by the throat. She won't let go. He won't let go. He can't let go. She may already have - - let go. 

Funny, I'm thinking back on all the conversations I've had with men and with women, and without an exception, I can say it's never been the other way around. There hasn't been a single time when someone with passion and fire in their voice pointed at me and said "You know what, there's this man."  No, it's never been that way. I wonder if it even can change? She is the subject of so many songs. She is the vaper that slips away, she is the twinkle in the stars, she is the lining of the casket, the poison in the drink, the fire in the hearth, and she is the very breath he inhales; he may never be quite able to exhale completely again. 

There's this woman, she's a little crazy, I mean, she's just not right -- something; there's something...and the next line is often never mentioned, but you can read it in his eyes, she's one step over the line, but she isn't apologizing, and he's not really blaming her either. She is where she will be, and there's not a damn thing he can do about it, and if he thought about it, he wouldn't change a thing; unless he was able to convince her to stay a little longer. That may be what he wants to change.  

The next time you hear those words ask yourself, is he the lucky one for having being forced through whatever it is he's being forced through right now, or are you the lucky one for not being so tormented? Whatever it is that she is, or she does, she will remain the power behind the subconscious cognition. She is the one that remains in control as long as you both use and hear those words; "There is this woman", yes, there is, and she knows exactly who and what she is. 

credit: https://m.facebook.com/drawingsbySylvia/photos/a.626746047394409/1722037124531957/?type=3&source=54

Truffles. That is All.

 I remember as a kid my aunt would make chocolate balls, we never really called them truffles. I don't think I ever associated the word "truffle" with chocolate until I was in the 20s. The word truffle was more or less a fungus, a mushroom, and something I knew we common folk couldn't afford. I remember being told that anyway. There would be no truffles for me! Thank goodness for Aunt Wilma and her chocolate balls. When she made them they were just chocolate, not dark chocolate, again, I don't know that while growing up we were made aware that there was more than just one type of chocolate; Hershey's made chocolate and that's what you ate! 

Today, you can get a variety of different flavored candy baking bars, and you can count on mixing and matching colors, textures, flavors, and even shapes if you're really cool and take your time to do that sort of thing. You can even add jelly into a tube and inject your little flavor morsels with gooey yummy if you want to! Why limit yourself, go all the way, friend. Step out, sound off, and just go wild in your kitchen! If you have a hankering for chili-flavored white chocolate truffles rolled in honey pecans, by all means, you just get yourself a few extra baking bowls and have at it! Do not let the neighbors stop you; they will probably be thankful you went the extra mile if you're the type (like I am) to want to share your new exotic experimenting with others - - somehow that didn't come out the way it sounded in my head.  

Today it was back to basics for me. I wasn't even planning on making truffles but was in the baking aisle at the store, trying to avoid saying hello to an ex-co-worker I saw in Produce.  I snuck away pretty easily, but found myself staring at the baking squares and wondering if they were always only 4 ounces or if I had remembered them being closer to 8 ounces -- I do actually think this way; it can become quite annoying, to be honest.  I decided I was right, they were bigger back in the day, but that didn't stop me from buying a few bars just to be sure I had enough for the now "can't-get-this-thought-about-making-truffles-out-of-my-brain" moment. I also bought powdered cocoa, heavy whipping cream, butter, and yeah, I thought I was buying pure vanilla extract; that was until I got home and realized I had picked up the almond extract by mistake. There's that.

Man avoided, chocolate in the little basket, daughter outside selling her saddle, I needed to get to the car as quickly as possible to make it home in time to have time to make the delectables that were going to be titillating my tongue and calling out sweet memories to my tender-age Jude. She lives inside my heart more than in my head; so it wasn't that difficult to find her. It was, however, difficult to clear the kitchen countertops, but that's on me, the older more need-to-get-it-together Jude. I managed. It happened. I made the best damn truffles this side of the kitchen in Heaven. You know they are there, right? I mean, it's perfect, so yeah, there will be truffles. 

Bam! Mixed, stirred, chilled, rolled, dipped, and chilled again - - I am in business! I'd say "We're cooking with grease now", but you don't use grease for this recipe - - just a little butter to smooth things out. Butter isn't even in the recipe, but I saw Aunt Wilma do it, so I did it, and I won't change my ways. If it was good enough for her, it's good enough for me.  I think tomorrow I'll head back to the store to get red sprinkles and dye and make red velvet truffles. Maybe even some mint extract and crush up a few peppermint candy canes from Christmas to roll the balls in after I do. Oh, I could go on and on with this huh? I could - - and I could invite my fantasy man, Naked Bearded Man, to participate in the making of these amazing morsels, and explain what I could do with the extra dark chocolate drizzle once I've covered all the truffles - - but I think I'll leave that one alone. 

Enjoy! 

The Power of Green Smoothies! Go Green! Go Green!

 You can make a smoothie out of just about anything you want really, as long as you add enough water, milk, or some sort of liquid to bring it to that smoothie stage. It's not called a slushy, it's a smoothie, so it does need to be smooth without running out of the blender like an emerald disaster; which you would still need to drink to save both money and face. I'll tell you what I do, and if you choose to do that you can. I have always been successful in creating the perfect smoothies because I listened to the experts at the juice cafe several years ago, where I first heard about the majestic, most powerful, antioxidant, and detoxing drink known on the planet! Yes, you will poop. Count on the poop. It will happen.

As you know, or maybe you didn't know, everything in life boils down to having an amazing poop. If you didn't know that, and this is the first time you're hearing it, you need to pay really close attention, and go straight to your refrigerator and make yourself a green smoothie. If you don't have the ingredients or the blender to do this; go now and spend that money if you can. Get it done. Make it happen. You and your poop need to become separated...fast.

So, what's in a green smoothie anyway, right? Well, obviously, it would be green things. What could be in your fridge right now, that isn't molding, that is green? Mine? Well, we have spinach, zucchini, pears, frozen avocado, asparagus, cucumbers, olives, parsley, beet greens, romaine lettuce, and just behind the carton of milk, there's a bit of bell pepper left from last Friday's chili cook-off. I'm not a huge pepper fan, but you can add a little to a smoothie for a kick that will send your tastebuds into orbit! (nix the olives they don't really blend well.)

One of the main ingredients every single time is greens powder. You can get it at any drug store or health food outlet. You can buy them online, you can pick them up, either way, but I use a brand called Amazing Grass - I typically buy the Green Superfood with chocolate but sometimes just the regular too. The ingredients will be posted in a picture at the bottom of the blog.  Sometimes I add an egg or yogurt to the mix for both protein and to make that smooth texture, but if I'm adding an avocado I don't need to do that.  Each and every vegetable or fruit has its own benefits, its own power, its own healing abilities, and together they make a heck of a punch to the colon - stripping out the excess ugly poop that's been hanging around in your intestines for no good reason.  

Let's start with the recipe I had today, and see what benefits and goodies were packed into an 8-ounce (I tend to make enough for 2) drink that was both thick, sweet, raw, and full of power to both detox and builds muscle at the same time! Talk about weight loss! Drinking a green smoothie every day has been one of the main staples of my overall diet plan these past several months. I've dropped over 40 pounds and have about 30 more to go. It won't be long before I'm claiming my goal, and to be honest with you, drinking greens and praying to Jesus, who made the greens, has been the reason for the loss! You gotta want it to make it happen. Make it happen.

Green Smoothie Recipe:

Prep:  cut up the ingredients and add them to the blender or Nutri-Bullet. Add water until the ingredients are completely covered. You may end up adding more water at the end.   

• Spinach ½ cup 

• 1 medium pear 

• 1 medium avocado (I use frozen for the texture and coolness) 

• ½ zucchini 

• 1 tablespoon Green Powder 

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds 

• Cover in filtered water.

• 
  

BLEND at high speed until the mixture is completely mixed, in my Nutri-Bullet it’s about 30 seconds. If I need to add water I do. 

BENEFITS:  

Spinach: According to www.health.com  

Spinach also contains 45% of the daily need for folate, a B vitamin that helps form red blood cells and DNA. And spinach supplies 15% of the daily goal for both iron and magnesium, 10% for potassium, and 6% for calcium, along with smaller amounts of other B vitamins. Spinach also provides over 160% of the daily goal for vitamin A, and about 40% for vitamin C, which both support immune function and promote healthy skin. 

Pear: According to www.whatthafact.com 

There are many nutritional benefits of Pears, the nutrient contains in a pear is like this if we take a look at 100g of pear there is 42kcal of energy, fat presence is 0.2g, it carries 3% potassium and sodium, copper, phosphorus. It carries 3% of carbohydrates and 14% of dietary fiber, it contains 7% sugar which is why it tastes sweet. Also, it contains vitamin A, 6% vitamin C, vitamin B12, 2% magnesium, iron, calcium, and vitamin B6. Pear provides a very good source of fiber and is also a good source of vitamin B2, C, E. 

Zucchini: According to www.webmd.com  

Zucchini is packed with many important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It has high fiber content and a low-calorie count. Fiber plays an important role in digestion and may limit the likelihood of suffering from a variety of GI issues. 

Zucchini contains zeaxanthin and several other compounds that can play a role in preventing oxidative stress. This, in turn, may limit the likelihood of developing cancer. 

Zucchini is rich in vitamin B6. Research suggests that this vitamin can help with regulating blood glucose. The vitamin may even play a protective role against diabetes. 

Avocado: According to www.foodevolution.org 

Avocados offer an abundance of fiber, potassium (more than a banana!), and vitamins B6 and C. They’re also rich in folate, which can boost your mood! 

But any way you slice it, the nutrient avocados offer the most of is fat. In fact, one cup of avocado provides 21 grams of fat. The type of fat found in avocado, therefore, matters a great deal. And it’s mostly a mixture of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. 

Polyunsaturated fats are essential. This means they’re necessary for your body to function, but it can’t make them itself. Your body uses these fats to build cell membranes and the covering of nerves. And they’re also needed for blood clotting and muscle movement. 

Monounsaturated fats are similar to the fats found in olive oil. Some studies have linked them to reduced inflammation, lower risk of heart disease, and anti-cancer effects. 

 

Chia seeds: According to www.healthline.com 

According to the American Society for Nutrition, chia seeds provide insoluble fiber which helps keep you fuller longer and bulks up stool to prevent constipation. They also deliver healthy fats, protein, and cell-protecting antioxidants. Chia seeds are a good source of minerals, such as: 

• calcium 

• iron 

• zinc 

• copper 

• manganese 

• niacin 

• magnesium 

Chia seeds may help control blood sugar. A randomized controlled trial published in Diabetes Care determined that adding chia seeds to normal type 2 diabetes treatments improves cardiovascular disease risk and helps maintain good glucose and lipid control. 

There you go.  Green Powder is the bomb, you should and could use it daily. Water is also amazing, useful, needed, life-saving, and important.    Do this. Do it often.  Gain the power you need to go to the bathroom, get regulated, get healthy, get moving, lose the anxiety, get rid of the gut, you name it, the smoothie will probably deliver it; except financial stability. It can’t bring you that. Sorry, you’re on your own for that one.