Seeing is Believing

A common joke about aging is one's failing eyesight, although it isn't very funny to the person who is losing this basic faculty.  We baby boomers have one leg up on our predecessors due to medical advances. One of the more common causes of blindness in adults is macular degeneration, but early detection and a regimen of particular vitamins can stop this disease in its tracks.  Since it seems to be hereditary, checking one's family medical history can be the first step in prevention.  Similar to another sight-stealer, glaucoma, there may be no warning sign to the individual, but a trained optometrist can see its first stages and help one to keep it at bay, so regular checkups including a slit-lamp test to check interior eye health are a must.

Now to move on to my philosophical take.  When I struggle to read the 6 point or less text listing ingredients on a bottle of dressing, I get very frustrated.  I find myself holding things a little closer - or farther - away and leaning toward the light to increase the contrast.  I'm not really surprised at this, as I've been an avid reader all my life, have spent upwards of 12 hours a day on the computer or reading drawings and specs since the '80s, and love to paint and do crafts, all of which demand a lot from these eyes.

So what is the upside?

When I see a dear friend I haven't seen in a long time, I don't see the new wrinkles around her eyes, nor the more pronounced sag in her chin.  I see her big smile and as I hold an image of her face in my heart, I don't need to look that closely anyway.

When I look in the mirror of a dressing room at myself, I don't see the bags and bulges quite as much, and I am not so concerned about the way I look.  Being free of obsession about one's looks is a sign of maturity in more than one way!

And lastly, if there are so many ingredients in a food I am considering buying, that the print has to be minuscule to fit on the label, is it really that good for me anyway?  The fewer the ingredients, the fewer chemicals, additives, and fake vitamins and minerals I'll be ingesting.

So despite my grumbling each year at the eye doctor's as yet again I have to have my prescription changed, I am grateful to be able to focus on the important things in life.

Vegan+ (or Just What DO You Eat?)

Early this year as I surfed through Netflicks, I came across two documentaries on diet that had a huge impact on me: "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and "Forks Over Knives."  The first tells the story of Joe Cross, an extremely overweight Australian suffering a debilitating auto-immune disease, and follows his journey to health.  He spends 60 days in the U.S. talking with people about their diet and health, and sticks to a fresh juice diet the entire time.  His experience is very interesting, but when he meets Phil, a huge truck driver suffering with obesity and the same rare disease, the film becomes absolutely gripping.

The second film traces the personal journeys of Dr. Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell U. and Dr. Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at Cleveland Clinic.  These men conducted several groundbreaking studies that led them separately to the same conclusion that degenerative diseases, like heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer could almost always be prevented and even reversed by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet.  (Both have their websites and help for those interested.)

So inspired, I began my journey by dropping all meats, including beef, pork, and chicken, eggs, and all forms of dairy.  I kept fish and seafood on the menu as I couldn't bear the thought of never eating them again, whereas I could envision a future without meat & eggs.  For those who don't understand vegan versus vegetarian, it's simply the moral decision to fully respect animal life.  Purists eat nothing that comes from animals, including milk, eggs, honey and gelatin, and do not wear leather, fur, etc.  Vegetarians come in many different "flavors" including those who eat eggs or drink milk or even eat chicken and/or fish, but not beef or pork.  

The change in diet wasn't easy at first, more because of the lack of dairy than the meat.  I love to cook, though, and persisted with lots of research and a few new cookbooks.  Thank heavens I live near a grocery store that specializes in natural products and carries all those new ingredients I needed, like seitan, Bragg's liquid aminos, and nutritional yeast.  Going out to eat is a bit tricky as restaurants tend to add cheese, butter, and/or sour cream to almost everything to boost the taste, but I found being clear that I could not have dairy seems to work, rather than admitting to veganism.

The biggest change, however, was mental - understanding the importance of not taking away, but ADDING to my diet.  Adding fresh, organic vegetables and fruits in the daily variety and quantity to assure I'm getting all the micronutrients I need.  Here's where my tribute to Joe and his wonderful Breville juicer comes in.  Juicing allows you to live a normal modern life not devoted to cooking and eating the tons of veggies you need every day.  My devoted and understanding husband, Randy, came to realize how important this change is as well, and led me to commit with him to a 10-day juice fast in late January.  The first few days weren't easy for either of us, as there are some, uh...physiological changes that a heavy juice intake will make.  Let's just say I'm glad I was home most of that time!  We also decided to get off caffeine at the same time, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but the incredible burst of energy we began to feel after the third day not only showed us we were over caffeine withdrawal, but with juicing we didn't need it at all.

Randy continues to be supportive in my cooking journey, as I do not prepare any dishes with animal products.  Some of the dishes have been less than spectacular, but many have been surprisingly tasty.  And now that I have found great substitutes for sour cream and mayonnaise, I can prepare some of our more traditional favorites without guilt.  And the best news of all - we are feeling better! We've both lost a good deal of weight, our skin looks better, we sleep better, and have no reflux whatsoever.  We are in the process of buying property in Texas and look forward to taming it for a LONG retirement.

Portland's Japanese Gardens

Yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon at one of Portland's true gems in Washington Park - the Japanese Gardens.  Not only was the weather warm & mostly sunny, but the rhododendruns, azaleas, camellias, and every spring flowering shrub worked together to feed my very soul.

Despite its small size - only 5.5 acres - the garden's design, from the moment you walk through the entry gate structure and past the guardian lion statues, slows you down to a stroll along its winding paths.  Dubbed the most authentic Japanese garden outside Japan, I was alternately charmed and bedazzled by its beauty.  Our tour guide was both friendly and knowledgeable about Japanese garden origins and design, showing a deep love of the art form throughout his presentation.  

The first style we saw incorporated the stunning visuals you see above, with a reflection pond, arching bridge, and two large metal crane sculptures.  Perhaps it was here we realized why these gardens appear so much larger - they make extensive use of something called "shakkei" or borrowing of landscapes in the distance.  We then wandered along offset wooden platforms suspended above a long koi pond to arrive at a lovely waterfall.

The second style is the tea garden or Chaniwa, which reached the height of their development during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period, when they were imbued a spirit of rustic simplicity for which they are known today. Tea gardens are typically simple and utilitarian, monochromatic in shades of green, with a stepping stone path leading from the garden entrance to the tea house. Stone lanterns provide lighting and a decorative element, while a wash basin (tsukubai) is used for ritual cleansing.  A somewhat larger tea house than the norm (5 tatami mats) is here, and one goes through two areas separated by low fences before entering the house itself.

We then learned about the Karesansui (Zen) Dry Garden which uses nothing but rocks, gravel and sand to represent all the elements of the garden landscape as we walked both through and overlooking a fine example of this austere type.  It seemed to have a playful air about it, with the stones like fun-loving animals barely able to sit still in front of the more stern central pillar.  Many of our group sat to enjoy a few moments of peace and no one was eager to push on.

There is even a nod to the Moss Garden type, by the seeding of various mosses over and around carefully placed boulders all along the walking paths.  Given the climate of Oregon, these areas have become a momentus greenscape to admire on their own.

The Sukiya style is exemplified by a beautifully simple and elegant structure that can be reserved for special events.  It overlooks the largest of structured gardens with curved pebbled areas to denote "water."  At the back of this building is a nice terraced area with a direct view of Mt. Hood above the taller buildings of Portland.  Although somewhat misty by afternoon and in her usual garb of blinding white snow, the mountain presented herself for all to admire.

By the time we returned to the entrance, I was ready to grab a shovel and head for the nearest nursery to capture some of this charm for myself.  Alas, it takes many dollars, years, loving devotion, and hard labor to produce such a wonderous place, so I must settle for returning time and again to enjoy this little piece of heaven.