Phase 2

Yesss! We got through the Dreaded Phase One of the South Beach Diet, with great results. Now heading into the longer stretch, adding just a little of the carb/sugar stuff at a time and watching the results in terms of how we feel (how hungry?) and what the scales say.

We are both feeling much better generally; and during those first two weeks we really were not hungry at all, as the diet is so well balanced. I think the main thing I missed was fruit (which we now are able to have) – and the evening glass of wine or highball (ditto).

We are still having bi-polar weather in our mountain aerie: today is clear, 80 degree springtime – and an Arctic storm is threatening us on Tuesday, the fourth in four weeks. Mind-blowing.

Getting old and forgetful is not nice: I found on Saturday that I have inadvertently let my California driver's license lapse. No use pointing out to the DMV that they failed miserably in not sending me a renewal notice (which is true); it's still my responsibility to keep the license up to date. So tomorrow morning bright and early we go to Capitola to see what I need to do now; that odious expedition will be leavened by having lunch with Julie, we hope, and doing a little shopping for some decent, comfortable lounge chairs for the back deck (if we can ever put them out and declare that summer is really here!)

Otherwise all is well in our cottage, as I hope it is in your own dear retreats.

MID TERM REPORT

One week into the mandatory two-week "Phase One" of the South Beach diet: John has lost exactly twice as much as myself. That alone is enough to make me a militant feminazi! Why do men lose weight faster on a similar diet than women can?

But it is without doubt the easiest diet ever; if you follow the rules, you don't get hungry.

However, the second week has started and of course the water-loss weight was easy to drop – now comes the testing.

Exercise starts today with a Pilates session this morning and a real walk afterward.

Life's A South Beach

Now that we are home again and settling back into a routine, John and I have begun the long delayed process of getting ourselves in better shape. I am signed up with our angelic neighbor next door, Teresa, for weekly Pilates sessions on Saturday morning; and John will re-up his daily one-hour morning walks.

We have also started the South Beach Diet program, which we followed a few years ago when it first became popular. At one week into Phase One, I can say a few words about this process.

First of all, good old Dr. Agatston has updated a lot of his first suggestions for Phase One. the basic philosophy is unchanged: Phase One is designed to reorient your pancreas. That is, the meal plans that include plenty of vegetables and meat and eggs (but little else) during the first two weeks consist of foods that eliminate the effects of high-glycemic intake (a strong effect of a bad diet). In lay jargon: sugar's gotta go. The original plan, which consisted mainly of a lot of eggs, very lean beef and chicken and fish, and unlimited amounts of green vegetables (and some rather gross sugarless "desserts"), was boring and repetitive – and thousands of dieters must have let Dr. A know about that. His new list of allowed foods in Phase One has expanded greatly over the past few years: it now includes other types of lean meats (pork and lamb loin, for instance); tomatoes and many other low-sugar vegetables; and more interesting interim snack foods (2 or 3 required daily between meals).

Working with the new guidelines, I've been able to make much more interesting menus up for lunches and dinners (but breakfast is still very eggy).

Our pleasant habit of a couple of highballs before dinner is now converted to a glass of John's discovery when he was in India: Lime Soda. This is nothing more than club soda with a good squeeze of fresh lime juice, a small dash of salt, and plenty of ice. It's really quite tasty. I'm going to try adding some crushed fresh mint leaves (we have plenty growing in our herb garden).

Have we lost weight yet? Yes indeed; I won't catalog the numbers here, but you can be assured that the diet is working. Well, they always work pretty well for the first week or so; I'll report back later on our future results.

Easter in Paradise

I have decided that we will want to spend every Holy Week from now on in this fair old city of ours. The experience of the celebration of the three days before Easter, at Trinity parish, is not just aesthetically beautiful – it is a real renewal for the spirit, better than Spring Cleaning. From Thursday's Paschal Meal celebrated with about 100 people in the Guild Hall, to Friday's solemn chanting of the Passion narrative according to John, set to 16th-century music, to last evening's Lighting of the New Fire and candlelit service in the church – culminating in Alleluias and bright light – all was beautiful.

The words of our preacher-woman still lie safe in my heart's memory: Within the kernel of every sad "Nevermore" lies the whisper of "Always."

We send out hopes for joy and peace to all of you, and all our love:
Mom and John

Marching Out

OK, so it's a hokey tagline; but the entire month has passed by without an update, so get ready.

I've been keeping my Lenten resolution pretty well, I think: only have felt twinges of guilt very occasionally, and squashed them immediately. (Do I have to start up with the guilt again as soon as Easter is here?)

At least I have gotten the ball rolling on some procrastinated matters: I had a first Pilates session with our expert next door; I've applied to the local ecumenical-church-sponsored food bank to take a volunteer position of some sort with their nonprofit agency and have a meeting scheduled for after Easter. I've found a local pool that offers aqua aerobics classes twice a week beginning in June and will sign up as soon as they are open. And for those of you who are sartorially minded, I am getting my long-neglected hair cut and styled at one of the best salons in Santa Barbara, as we arrive in our fair city the end of this week.

Yes, we leave tomorrow for the long drive down to visit my siblings and spend Holy Week and Easter in Santa B. On this weekend, I will be on retreat at La Casa de Maria (and will have a massage while there, to benefit the arthritis problems) ... and John will be in Altadena visiting his siblings – we both return to SB on Sunday afternoon. We'll do some visiting with friends during the coming week, and then observe the Triduum Weekend (Thurs.-Sat.) of Holy Week at services at our dear Trinity parish. Easter we'll celebrate with Frank and Melissa; and then we will return to our cottage in the woods early the following week.

The day that we get home, we both begin the long-delayed South Beach Diet regime (while John continues his 3-mile daily walks and I continue my range-of-motion and Pilates exercises).

Dear readers, wish us luck and pluck, as we pledge to be gorgeously svelte for the big reunion in Carmel Valley this summer – and beyond!

The Longest Month

March always looks as though it will go on forever. After the short and very full month of February (so many birthdays, our anniversary, holidays) I always face March with some trepidation. It's usually a grey, half-wintery time, and it's the season of Lent – not a time for celebrating.

This year, I hope to make it a month of contemplation, quiet meditation, and a new Lenten practice. Leenie informed me that a newsletter she'd received recommended "giving up" something that you DON'T LIKE. Thinking that over, I decided that there is something I really don't like within myself: Guilt.

So I am giving up guilt for Lent this year. "Can you really do that?" asked my daughter who knows me so well. I had to admit I didn't know. However, two weeks into the season I am doing pretty well with it. Whenever a twinge of my bugaboo begins to sneak past the barricades, I halt it in its tracks with "Hey, get outta here, I gave you up for Lent." I have to say, it feels pretty wonderful!

Of course I have a full month of days ahead to keep my resolve, before Easter morning dawns on April 4th.

I've started back at writing the memoir again, which helps a lot. It is a good place to exercise my willpower about the guilt thing too: writing a memoir requires a lot of soul-searching, and it can be very easy to wallow in regret (for things done and things left undone). "No wallowing!" I yell at myself when it crops up, "you gave that up!" This makes writing about my past a lot easier, I can tell you.

Maybe by the time Easter dawns, I will have a lot more words committed to my opus – and a new freedom of spirit as well.

Celebrating Love and Life!

L'chaim, y'all! We celebrated 35 years of marriage with an Anniversary Eve dinner on Sunday, February 14th – a most appropriate day for lovers ..... and lovers of fine food. Below is the menu; and what follows is a pictorial description of the process, for the true Foodies in this readership. You must forgive the sloppy pictorial placement; I'm still learning.There were some other good shots I couldn't seem to download here, also. If you would like to se the full photo album, let me know and I'll send you a KodakGallery link.
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Beef Wellington Dinner Soulé (Music: "Die Fledermaus, Act I")

Candlelight Cocktail Hour:
Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial

Primo:
Steamed Artichoke / Aioli Dipping Sauce
Baguette Slices / Acqua Minerale

Secondo: Beef Wellington (Boeuf en Croute)
with Black Truffle Sauce

Wine: Primitivo Zinfandel '2004, Salamandre Vineyards Santa Cruz
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The artichoke was steamed lightly and chilled the previous day. The aioli sauce was made ahead and chilled also (it is simply a mixture of good mayonnaise, minced garlic, and fresh lemon juice to thin to a smooth consistency).


The Beef Wellington recipe we used was an amalgam of Craig Claiborne, Julia Child, Epicurious.com, Tyler Florence, and Gordon Ramsay.
Here are step-by-step photos of the process:

Searing the meat:





Putting it all together:












A Messy Process:

.... but absolutely delicious and well worth the work.