My errands took me near a different fish market this weekend. I wanted something that was beneficial for both As and Os. The first fish I picked was trout. The manager said, "You don't want that today. I have more coming in tomorrow." I appreciated the honest advice, but I've been wondering who they sold the trout to!

Next I asked about red snapper. The manager smiled and said, "That's a good choice."

I didn't do anything fancy. I just baked it in the oven, and served it with steamed broccoli, carrots and grapefruit.

I did a poll on how my family ranks the fish I've recently fixed.

My husband says trout first, then snapper, cod and salmon last.

My daughter says salmon first, then trout, snapper, and cod last.

I like salmon best, cod and snapper about the same and trout last.

Christmas decorations are up in the kitchen, den and living room. Tomorrow I decorate the bedrooms. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

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"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38

About 4-5 weeks ago, for no reason at all, I began to put on weight. I'm not sure of the timing because at first I didn't pay much attention. I was sure that if I kept eating right it would go away. I seem to remember that it began between my two fall shopping trips and about the time I blogged about increasing my exercise to see if I could start converting fat to muscle again.

I was adding a half-pound every 3-4 days. I knew it couldn't be fat. I doubt I could add fat that quickly no matter what I ate, and I was eating right for a Type O. Truly, I was! I hoped that it might be due to converting fat to muscle, but logically that couldn't account for all of it. It had to be water retention, but why? I tried drinking more water; I tried drinking less. I tried more salt; I tried less. I tried more green tea, and a variety of vitamins and herbs. I wondered if my scale was broken.

I speculated that this could be a hormone event of some sort. I noticed swelling and tenderness that might indicate hormones were the cause. Was I going out of menopause after so effortlessly going through it? Was I (gasp) pregnant at 51?

I blogged at Thanksgiving that I put on a little more than a pound. Instead of going away when I got home, I added another half pound. Now my weight was up 6 pounds, and two of my new pairs of pants were a little snug.

As inexplicably as the weight gain started, it turned around. In a week I have lost 4 pounds. Clearly there are things going on with my metabolism that have nothing to do with what I'm eating. I take no blame for its coming, and I take no credit for its going. It is a mystery.

A lot of people write on the Forum that their weight loss has plateaued. I will read your postings with more compassion in the future. All I can say is stay the course. Keep eating right for your type. Focus on building your health and don't be discouraged. In time, your body will respond.

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"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "Since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke1:34-35

Last night we took a trip back in time to the Victorian era and the days of Charles Dickens. A rural community near us has restored a group of old farm buildings and turned them into clever antique and gift shops. Every December they have a Dickens Christmas Celebration. The shopkeepers dress in Victorian era clothes. Local performers put on outdoor shows. There are even horse drawn carriage rides. It is a delightful event.

On the way we stopped for dinner at Chipotle's. It is easy to get a beneficial blood type meal there. I had a bowl with grilled steak, onions, green peppers, black beans and romaine lettuce. My husband and daughter chose rice, pinto beans, chicken, and other Type A foods.

After we arrived at the village, we realized that we could have eaten at a local restaurant, one of which is a British tea room. We strolled around the village, picking up a couple of Christmas gifts in the shops and enjoying the decorations and the music. We joined a candlelight sing-along around the big outdoor Christmas tree.

Strolling is not adequate Type O exercise. Earlier in the day I had gone to a parking garage to climb stairs. I got a very good work out. I think I will exercise there a lot this winter when it is too cold and drizzly to enjoy running.

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You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. Luke1:31-33

Perhaps I spoke too soon about not having nutrition credibility with my husband's family. The last day we were there I got up early, and had breakfast alone with his Mom. She mentioned having read the negative news report about Vitamin E and said she had thrown her bottle of Vitamin E away. I was thinking that it was a shame the newspaper report scared her because she is Type A, and the Vitamin E is good for As. It's just not good for all blood types. I was trying to decide whether to try to explain that, when she said that she wished she knew what to do about nighttime muscle cramps.

I asked if she took calcium and magnesium. She got out a bottle of grocery store calcium tablets. I said that I thought capsules were easier to absorb than tablets, and that if she took magnesium with the calcium it would help her leg cramps. She seemed very interested. She has never shopped at a health food store, so I said I would buy some calcium/magnesium and mail it to her.

Today I was mailing a box of Christmas gifts to her house. I included a bottle of calcium/magnesium capsules. I'm hoping it will open a door to more conversations. I'm so happy that she asked me.

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The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." Luke 1:28-30

It's December 1, and this morning we had our first frost. The Christmas season has begun. I love Christmas! I love the music, the gifts, and the food. I love how the spirit of the season makes people more charitable and puts smiles on their faces. I'm hoping that I will start decorating the house this afternoon, but I've had lots of yearbook work to do this week, so decorating may have to wait until Friday.

Kristin wrote a blog about cranberries a few weeks back, and I've been enjoying them in a couple of new ways. My original cranberry sauce recipe called for 3 cups fresh cranberries, 1 cup water and, one cup sugar. This week I made cranberry sauce with the same 3 cups of berries, but ½ cup water and 1/3 cup sugar. I liked the thicker sauce. My family did not notice the missing sugar. Someone eating a traditional American diet might find the cranberries to be too tart, but since we routinely decrease sugar in recipes, they tasted just fine to us.

I also cut raw cranberries in half and tossed them in a salad. They tasted good with salad greens, and looked quite Christmassy.

Figs are one of my favorite foods. Though I rarely get to eat them fresh, I often have dried figs as a snack. A few weeks ago I saw fruit-only fig preserves at the health food store and couldn't resist buying them. Without bread, it's been hard to know how to use them. Maybe it was hearing the Christmas chorus, "bring us some figgy pudding," but today I tried something radical.

We used to eat a lot of carrot salad. But after starting the BTD it just didn't taste the same without the whipped cream and mayonnaise. I've tried several variations, but hadn't found anything as good as the original. Today I had some grated carrots left over from last night's dinner. On impulse I mixed them with a little olive oil and a spoon of fig preserves. It was delicious - creamy and sweet, but not too sweet.

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As much as I love the festive traditions of Christmas it's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the season and forget the true significance. I'm going to close each blog in December with a couple of verses from the Christmas story, which is, after all, the real reason for the season.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. Luke 1:26-27