My grandparents lived on a ranch, and when I was a girl, I would hear them talk about “going to town.” The nearest town was 5 miles away. That’s where they would go for groceries and the bank. To do any major shopping they had to go to a larger town that was 20 miles from the ranch. I grew up in the city, and I thought the phrase “going to town” sounded so exciting.

Now that my husband and I live out in the country, we use that phrase all the time. He will say to me, “Are you going to town today? If so, I need to go to the hardware store.” We consolidate our errands to save gas.

Yesterday we went to town with a list of nine errands. We crossed off the first two, then went to a new restaurant for lunch. The owner had mailed out coupons for “buy one, get one free” dinners. It was a trendy sandwich shop oriented toward tourists and business lunches. The thing that impressed me was that three of their sandwiches were available in “no bun” versions. This has to stem from low carb and/or BTD pressure in the restaurant industry. I’m glad to see it. I had a sirloin burger that was topped with a fresh vegetable garnish. Instead of fries, I got a fruit cup. It was delicious.

We dropped off a photo order at a client’s (if you need a Christmas gift idea, I have one for you below), then went by the tax office. One thing I love about small towns is walking into the tax office and talking to someone right away. When we lived in the city, I would block out an hour for any errand at the courthouse.

Then we went to vote. I cast my ballot for candidates who promise to pass better health care laws than the current administration and who encourage self sufficiency and entrepreneurship.

Next, I got a flu shot. Every year I weigh the pros and cons. Last year I got the regular flu shot, but not the swine flu. This year it is all rolled into one. In the end, I decided that the possibility of feeling terrible for a week was worse than the risk of the shot. I’m not advocating that for you, it was just the lesser of two evils for me. I may change my mind next year.

Last of all we picked up produce at the grocery store and headed for home. My husband took the dog for a walk while I put things away. He poked his head in the front door and said, “Come see! There are four deer in the neighbor’s yard.” The best thing about going to town is coming home to the country.

Now for the Christmas idea. Part of my photography/graphic design business is converting old 35 mm slides to digital. I can correct faded color and make the slides into a DVD movie. No more slide projector - you watch your pictures on TV. Because I custom scan each slide, now is the time to order for Christmas. There is more information on my website Practical Photography and Publishing

Our Bible Study class had a cook out over the weekend. The men grilled hamburgers and the women brought side dishes. There was so much good food – baked beans, an oriental salad filled with crunchy veggies, lots of fresh fruit, and a spinach salad topped with cranberries and nuts. Of course there were chips and cookies, but it was easy for a Type O to find plenty to eat.

I decided to take carrot salad. It’s good for all blood types, it’s easy, and most people like it. Sometimes when I make it at home, I use oil instead of mayonnaise. It tastes good, but it doesn’t have the same creamy texture. For the cook out, I wanted to make it the more familiar way, but I was nearly out of mayonnaise, so I went to the health food store. The owner saw me looking at the various brands, and suggested I look in the refrigerator for Vegenaise. Sorry, but I would never name a product Vegenaise. It just brings weird images into my mind, like Veggie Tale characters climbing onto sandwiches.

I picked up a jar and liked the ingredients. Grapeseed oil – not good for Hunters, but super beneficial for Gatherers. There are advantages to having a mixed body type – I focused on super beneficial. Brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup – that was good, as was apple cider vinegar instead of regular vinegar. I bought a jar.

I put two cans of diced pineapple (with the juice) in a bowl, added several handfuls of raisins, and let them soak until they were plump. Meanwhile I grated two pounds of carrots. Just as I got ready to put it all together, DD called. She was telling me about a salad she had made with cinnamon and ginger. On impulse I put 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon and a teaspoon of ginger in my carrot salad. Tossed it with some Vegenaise and off we went to the cook out.

The day was beautiful and the conversation was fun. We met two new couples who live in our area. The carrot salad was a hit – I think it’s the best I’ve ever made. If I had been hoping to bring enough home leftovers for Sunday lunch, I would have been disappointed.

The teenage couple I wrote about in my last blog has been found. They drove north across the country, and somehow got over the border into Canada. They say they wanted to be together and intended to live off the land. Someone became suspicious of a truck with Texas license plates and called police. The license plate matched the missing children report. Perhaps it was one of you who noticed and called it in. If so, I thank you.

The ten days that they were gone made me think a lot about how decisions have far reaching consequences. This 14-year-old girl has changed her life forever. Her friends will view her differently, and it will be a long time before her parents will trust her again. The 17-year-old boy was a high school senior who may have put his graduation in jeopardy. When they planned this escapade, it probably sounded to them like a really good idea, but it was a really bad decision.

My son, the physical therapist, says that a high percentage of the patients he saw during his internships, were not innocent victims of an accident. Most were reaping the results of a lifetime of bad decisions about their bodies. They ate junk food, didn’t exercise, gained too much weight, and damaged their joints.

Most of the time I make good decisions about what I eat, but one day this week I made two bad decisions back to back. I felt terrible afterwards, and wondered why I had indulged in something that gave momentary pleasure followed by longer lasting regret.

Every day I make decisions that affect me and the people around me. Will I drive defensively or aggressively? Will I be friendly or think only of myself? Will I make time to exercise or stay too long at the computer? Will I be diligent in my work or will I be lazy? Will I help others, or will I be demanding?

Most of what happens to us is not good or bad luck, it is the result of good or bad decisions. The most important decisions of all involve how I relate to God. Will I trust my own good works, or will I accept the free gift of salvation?

Think today about how your decisions are affecting your health, your happiness, and your eternal future.

This is how I described my week in a note I wrote this morning, “God has taken my calendar, shredded it, and put it back together in His own way. I know in the end His plan will be better than mine, but I wonder what He's going to do with the pieces that are still scattered on the floor.”

Our son accepted a job and passed his boards. We are very excited, and I’ll write a blog about the details after he starts work. The unexpected twist has been getting an apartment. An apartment locater sent him several excellent options and got us all excited, only to say that those options were only “examples” and there was no availability at those complexes. Why would she do that??? He eventually found an apartment on his own and was tentatively approved. They requested a letter from his employer, who calculated his salary in a different way. Because the two numbers weren’t the same, it sent the computer-controlled approval process into a loop. Our son is still waiting for permission to move in. Which means I am still waiting for a go ahead to move furniture from my parent’s house.

My husband’s transplant surgery was successful, and his vision is improving daily. But there was a complication that he did not have during the first surgery. We made two extra trips back to the city to see the doctor about pain. Fortunately there was a reason for the pain that was easily treatable, but I won’t deny that there was additional stress.

One of my aunts in North Texas passed away. My husband was still on restrictions from his eye surgery, so he could not travel. However, since our son couldn’t move into his apartment, he was available to stay home with his Dad and keep an “eye” on things. It was a long day – four hours driving alone going and four hours coming home, but it was worth it. All of my cousins were there, and it was good to be together. There was a lovely reception at the home of a distant relation after the service. We had fun remembering our aunt and catching up on all the exploits of our children. I kept avoids to a minimum, but I did over eat neutrals to stay awake during the drive home.

The biggest stress, by far, is that two teens I knew when I was teaching journalism have disappeared. Samantha, 14-year-old freshman, and Charles, her 17-year-old boyfriend, cut class on Monday October 4. They have not been heard from since. Both sets of parents are frantically worried. They have reason to believe that the couple may be camping in Texas or Colorado, but it’s possible that they could be somewhere else.

It hurts my heart any time I see an Amber Alert or read a poster about Missing & Exploited Children. But the hurt I feel for strangers is increased exponentially when I know the families involved. I am going to post the link. If you see a white pickup truck – license 58LPW7 – please call law enforcement. If you want to display a poster, the families would thank you.

find charles & samantha

download poster

Over the years I have often asked doctors about vitamins and other nutritional supplements. Almost without exception I have gotten an indulgent smile and a disdainful comment that vitamins are over rated and I’m wasting my money.

Next week my husband is having his second cornea transplant. Before the first transplant he was very fearful. He reviewed the doctor’s instructions almost daily to be sure he was doing everything right. One of the pre-op instructions was no aspirin and no vitamin E. I normally give my husband 200 iu of Vitamin E in the morning, plus whatever is in his evening multiple. That seems to be a good amount for a Type A. Before the first surgery I carefully stopped all Vitamin E.

The first surgery was so successful that we became complacent. We went on vacation to enjoy cool mountain air and golden trees, neither of us worrying at all about coming back to face the second surgery. I didn’t put the Vitamin E capsule in his vitamin box when I packed for the trip, but I did put in the multiple. When I refilled the boxes the day after we got home, I wasn’t thinking of the surgery at all, and automatically added E.

Today was his pre-op appointment. The doctor said everything on the first eye looks perfect. He now has 20/25 vision in that eye. Everything looks ready to go for the second surgery. When he got home, he read over the instruction sheet and asked if he was taking Vitamin E.

I cannot tell you how horrible I felt that I had forgotten. We called the doctor’s office to tell his assistant what we had done. We waited anxiously while the two of them conferred. The doctor is not concerned about the Vitamin E, just saying not to take any more between now and the surgery.

While I still feel guilty for not taking better care of my husband, I am less concerned about a Type A getting a little Vitamin E before a surgery than I would a Type O. Type As have thicker blood, which is why they benefit from the thinning effect of Vitamin E. Certainly Vitamin E would be contraindicated in an already thin-blooded Type O before a surgical procedure.

The most interesting thing, however, is that while medical school trained doctors sniff at taking vitamins for preventative purposes, they do acknowledge their potency in pre-surgery instructions. Come on Doc, you can’t have it both ways! Either vitamins effect on our bodies or they don’t.