It only took 50 minutes and the WSSC man tapped on my door. We communicated through the closed-door and he said he had flushed the fire hydrant line and did not see any discoloration. He went on to say that he noticed a truck outside testing the sprinkler system. I did not realize we had any sprinklers. I also asked about the strong chemical odors I had smelled earlier, just prior to the water turning strange. He replied it was chlorine and it wasn’t harmful. Really? I will run the water until it is clear and odor-free, and I will continue to filter my water before I drink.

]]> http://skdd.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/dont-drink-the-water/feed/ 0 Theresa111 http://skdd.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/state-of-the-union-address/ http://skdd.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/state-of-the-union-address/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:00:44 +0000 Theresa H Hall http://skdd.wordpress.com/?p=7469 ]]> I am listening to President Obama telling us about jobs here, being brought back home to the USA and not giving tax breaks for businesses overseas. Clean energy, infrastructure, making the drillers produce the evidence of what chemicals they are using. We need safe drilling for America’s land. Refinance your home without bank red-tape and run around. Smart regulation to prevent irresponsible behavior. Wind energy. Take half the defense funding, pay down half our debt and use the other half to put Americans to work. He talks about the farmers not being over regulated for spilt milk but he won’t back down from big companies who spill oil. Nor back down from insurance companies who charge women differently from men. Wall street will dance to a new tune. No more risky investments with their depositors’ money. Never again will they be bailed out by the American people again. Never ever again. Those days are over and the big banks and companies on Wall Street will need to document everything.

Pass the penalties and investigate and hold accountable for those who broke the law and hurt the housing industry that hurt so many of the American people. Stop a tax hike on 60 million Americans while the recovery is still fragile. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay. Let’s get it done. The deficit … millionaires need to pay more taxes … period. No more big tax cuts for the wealthy. Good! More reforms to strengthened Medicare and Social Security. Big earners need to pay their fair share of taxes. 30% + in taxes and no special deductions, etc. Average Americans shouldn’t pay anymore taxes, we are the ones who need to have more relief. Americans admire financial success. But the wealthy  need to be responsible for paying their fair share.

Energy and health care is what we need to work on. Washington is broken … this is what the people think. Government needs to work together. Stop the corrosive influence in politics. I have to go listen to the rest. I love this guy!

I have found that Jasmine rice is absolutely delicious without any adornment. We have been consuming a lot of this lately, measured out in our delegated portions. Last night I prepared it with basil leaves, orange zest and juice, garlic powder and a tiny bit of salt and EVOO. Mmm delicious. I’ve been sautéing different fresh vegetables and combining them in new ways, in order to keep them appealing to me and my husband. We do get small increments of protein (although he doesn’t eat meat and this is a challenge), but we’ve done well with albacore tuna in water, freshly cooked fish and I also have been eating shaved turkey and baked chicken breast.

The soup in the pot is a recipe I remembered from a program I was on (The Cabbage Soup Diet) before we were married. Naturally, I have been tweaking it to be a vegetable-cabbage soup. Due to the salt restrictions, I have had to come up with ways to flavor our food whilst our taste buds became accustomed to the authentic flavor of each food we use. Surprising how the flavors come out when they are not masked with salt. Fresh salads are also doled out in 1/2 cup and 1 cup portions. So far so good we are reducing and feeling healthier for it.

I have to admit that I have been dreaming of fried chicken wings, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob dripping with onions, green peppers and butter. The biggest challenges have been no pasta, milk, chocolate, sodas, sugars, desserts or butter. We shall prevail and as soon as we get to our goal weights, we’ll be able to add in some of our favorite high-calorie foods, and you know … we’ll be measuring them as well. We can do this! Fillet Mignon is on my list and tonight I shall defrost a 6 ounce serving only to divide it into 2 ounce portions. Better to have it than not. For someone in love with food and eating this has been an eye-opening experience. Wish us Bon Appetit! Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

We Become All

~~~~~ 

We ride aboard

The recycled-life planet

Everything which exists here

Has been created 

From something tiny

Born into a new day

Reconstructed over time

And sifted into the 

Recycled blending of newness

Dead but for three days

To be resurrected again

Over again so that

We can experience all values

Of life and learn from 

Becoming every personality

Human fish fowl mammal

From the lowest being

To the highest

In order to know 

Our reason for living

Finding the truth buried

Deep within our hearts

We become all

~~~

Theresa H Hall

Today

Although I am very good at math, when I fail to write down transactions and keep them in my head, I find I have to pay for those mistakes. Ouch and many other expletives come to mind. In the meantime, we have been eating healthy foods, in moderation and it’s working. A little artwork thrown in and there you have it. We’re still human and we all have bad surprises. Going to bed. Another miracle please?