Weekend Update

Gardening. Trellis building actually. One huge Kiwi trellis done. It is 22' X 8' X 8' high. Hopefully plenty of room for those kiwis to grow and fruit.

I planted apple trees, Asian pears, and a passion flower vine. I planted fingerling potatoes, and ginger roots. The weather outside was beautiful, and I very much enjoyed the entire weekend. It was relaxing and fulfilling at the same time. The gardens are really coming together well. I will probably plant the remaining Asian pear and the Seckle pear tomorrow. That leaves the grapes and Kiwis yet to plant. Oh, and the fig tree. I haven't quite figured out what kind of trellis I want to have the grapes on yet, and Mary wants to help me figure that out, so I'm waiting for her to get back.

Not much else happened this weekend.

My %&@*# $0.02 worth!

Ok, so I don't get angry easily. Anger is an emotion that really doesn't do anyone any good. Especially me.

But these mass killings by crazy people are getting to me.

I also realize that I'm more likely to be killed in a simple traffic accident than gunned down while sitting at a school, gas station, or restaurant. But still, why are we continuing to let this go on?

Because we haven't got any idea how to stop it! Our so called experts hem and haw over Second Amendment rights, the NRA says "You'll have to pry my gun out of my cold dead fingers," and the pacifists say, "if we didn't have guns, there wouldn't be mass shootings."
Ok, so what is the answer? We have a Columbine High School, or a Virginia Tech, or a small Amish school, or 2 snipers in the D.C. area, or workplace killings where lots of people are killed for no good reason. There are others I could mention, but you get the idea. How many more people will live in fear of being on the receiving end of a whacked-out person living their very own First-Person-Shooter fantasy? Apparently all of us!

I have an idea of a solution, one that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Since there are over 300 million, yes MILLION, hand guns in the United States, we aren't going to be getting rid of them any time soon. We will continue to endure gun murders, mass shootings, assassinations, and crimes of passion committed by ordinary people who have become desensitized about killing, death and murder. How did they become that way? Many ways... Network news, War, violent video games, violent movies, violent TV shows, local crimes, poverty, road rage... Need I go on? Somehow American society has become fascinated with killing, death and murder. And I'm not blaming the media, they only give us more of what we ask for... or what we seem to be watching to sell advertising.

How do we stop the killing? According to the politicians, the NRA, and just about everyone else I've talked to, we don't. We endure it. And we will have to continue to endure massacre after massacre.

Well here's my radical little idea to at least change the odds:

Since we can't take the hand guns away from law-abiding U.S. citizens or (il)legal immigrants, crooks, gang-bangers, felons, convicted murderers etc., (remember there are 300 million of them in our peace-loving country) why not just ensure that everyone has one? Oh, and that everyone knows how to use them. How hard could it be? After all, we have programs now to feed the hungry or poor, and train them to better themselves. So why not government gun use programs? Government gun issue? Since our governments, police forces, vigilante groups and home-grown militias can't stop one person with a death wish, why not have everyone carry hand guns for protection? And change the laws that will allow you to be absolved of any wrongdoing if you "shoot back." Why not government training programs for the masses on how to keep, shoot, clean, and maintain a hand gun? How much money would that take away from the ill-fated Iraq/Afghanistan (soon to be Iran if we "stay the course") war?

I predict that in the first few years of mandatory hand gun laws we would have a lot of people killed. There would be a swift societal change. We U.S Citizens would still have our precious Second Amendment right to bear arms, and quite swiftly we would have a very well-mannered society. After all, if you ticked the wrong person off, they could shoot you. Let's not forget that women are usually better shots than men, and we would have to respect them as well... Instant ERA, eh Ladies?
Everyone would be able to carry at any time. That would make the air plane hijackers wary, wouldn't it? They might be able to crash a plane, but they would be full of bullet holes before they did!
Also if people carried everywhere, everywhere would be protected, wouldn't it? Always lethal force around to protect ourselves.

Let's look at the bright side, after about 5 to 10 years, the good people of the U.S. would have weeded out the crazy people who want to kill others, and if someone did try to pull a massacre, there would be plenty of people in the crowd who would shoot back. Much less loss of life. If after the first or second person was shot, 15 people returned fire, well, the numbers of dead and wounded would be less anyway. Oh, and lots of savings of tax-payer dollars from not having to prosecute and jail these crazy people.

Even the pacifists who don't want to carry a gun would be able to make that choice, just as they do now. All they have to do is act like they are carrying and who would know differently?

I don't really want to carry a gun. It isn't in my nature to want to. Just the way I am. But do I want to live in a safe society? Yes. Is America safe? No. Will it ever be safe? No. Was it ever safe? No. What do I tell my children when they ask why our government can't keep us safe from ourselves? Well, in the United States, the people ARE the government, and there is no safety from ourselves.
Sleep tight kids.

Another section of Sheet Mulch

I spent a good while today doing more sheet mulching.
It is really neat how all of that material goes in, and eventually I'll have rich dark loamy topsoil to grow things in! Amazing.

I worked from about 7:30 this morning until 1:30, taking breaks for lunch and snacks. It looks really good, and when Mary gets back from visiting Liza, I'll take a picture for you!

Yesterday I got the granny-smith apple tree planted, and the six thornless blackberries. I hope they make it! They looked half dead, but then again, they are ship in dormant states. I also got 35 or so asparagus plants tucked into the ground. We should have a good area of asparagus in the next couple of years. Yummy!

The garden is really coming along. I'm so happy with the way things are turning out. It is amazing that the work I've done previously on the perennials has the garden beautiful already, and it was work that I don't have to do again! Yeah! Now I have to get the materials for the kiwi trellis and get that going before the kiwi get here. Always something to do, eh?

I've been enjoying being lazy and reading for the rest of the afternoon. I did manage to get to the commissary and get the cereals that the kids asked for. I hope they enjoy it! Super sweet sugar coated sugar! Not what I want to be eating.

Why I chose a vegan diet

I've been vegetarian for over 5 years now, with the most part of that eating a vegan diet.

First some definitions. Vegetarians eat NO meat, this includes no chicken and no fish, but they can (and usually do) eat dairy products; e.g. eggs and milk products.

Vegans eat no animal products at all. No meat, dairy or fish. Only plant based foods. Jokingly stated as, "No food with a mother or a face."

I began my vegetarian journey after seeing my mother in the intensive care of the cardiac unit of the hospital. She had just undergone a quadruple heart bypass surgery, and was "in recovery". I saw how she was out of it due to the medications for pain, and the after affects of the surgery. I silently vowed that I would not wind up on a similar table suffering through that kind of surgery. I have since learned that with those kinds of surgeries, that brain damage due to low blood flow to the brain almost always occurs. My mother suffered a drug-induced psychosis also, that caused her to feel extremely paranoid and trapped.

My "quest" began.

I am a young man, just 40, but at the time of my mother's surgery was 35, and about 35 pounds heaver than I wanted to be. I was serving in the Air Force, and the culture of the Air Force is accepting of older NCO's (Non-Commissioned Officers) having a "bigger gut", and heavier frame. So I was always on the edge of failing my weigh-ins, and had difficulty passing my physical fitness tests. I took up cycling to improve my health and lost some of the weight, but didn't seem to lose very much weight, even though I got into much better physical shape.

So when I saw my mother in ICU, I knew I had to learn how to NOT wind up where she was. I turned to the Internet. I read everything I could find on heart disease, nutrition and how to reduce my chances of getting heart disease. I found information that vegetarian diets were better for preventing heart disease, so I immediately began paring down my meat consumption. I was a huge meat eater, having been raised thinking that I needed as much protein as I could get. I had always like vegetables, just not as main dishes. After about 2 months I reduced down to just "meat flavored meals." I commented on this to one of my friends, who said, "Why not just go vegetarian?" So I did.

After about 3 weeks of eating vegetarian meals I cooked myself, from recipes found on various vegetarian websites I was not feeling that great. I had made a mistake that some beginning vegetarians make, I substituted dairy products for meat. I was still experiencing gastronomical distress, heartburn, cycles of diarrhea and constipation, and nasal congestion however. So after reading Sabrina Nelson's article on her change to a vegan diet, I decided to give up the dairy and eggs. That was the key. It was also difficult at first, because I was still worried about the "protein myth". After a few short days of vegan meals, my bowels settled down to regularity, my heartburn went away, and my nasal congestion completely disappeared. No more antacids for me! I never lost strength, only the tired feeling I used to have after meals.

I felt HEALTHY! I felt amazingly well. I had even more energy to ride my bike, I was able to keep up with the "fast" riders on my club rides, and best of all, was the regular sleep! I even improved my mandatory Air Force run times!

So on I went with my vegan diet/strict vegetarian eating until I found Dr. Walford's website. He was also featured on Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda. Dr. Walford was one of the scientists who was a part of the Biosphere 2 crew and witnessed how high nutrient, low calorie food affects humans. Dr. Walford commented that caloric restriction extends the health of mice and other mammals. Also that healthy low calorie, high nutrient food was key to a human's good health. So I slowed down my use of oil and refined sugars. I cut out drinking soda, and switched to water.

My weight simply evaporated. I ate whatever I wanted, that was nutrient rich and low in fat. My energy remained the same, HIGH! I tried to reduce my calories to about 60% of what I had been eating, and my energy levels went through the roof. I often hear people comment that they wish they had the energy that their 3, 4 or 5 year-olds have. I have that energy, and I'm willing to tell them how they can get it too!

Later on in my readings on the Internet, I found Dr. McDougall's website, which is dedicated to treating heart disease (and other nutrition associated ailments) through diet. He backed up all of the things I had figured out on my own with scientific evidence, and evidence from his own patients. Dr. McDougall also suggests that auto-immune diseases such as Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis can be cured with a plant-based, whole foods diet that is low in fat. Also all of the "over nutrition" diseases that so many westerners suffer from because of our rich diets. I have noticed that my joints no longer hurt (I've been quite active and had broken some bones that always hurt after they healed, until I went vegan.) My elbow still gives me trouble when I use it too much, or the weather is going to change, but the constant pain has gone.

Now, I'm not perfect, I occasionally have a meal that has high amounts of oil in it, but usually don't feel well after them. I go back to eating my grains and vegetables and balance returns. It is amazing how well the body heals when you supply it with the nutrition it needs to thrive. I don't consider these meals setbacks, but temporary detours on my road to good health. I remind myself that my goal is to be healthy and able during my latter years, and hopefully I have lots more of those to look forward to. Quality of life is very important to me. And being a vegan, eating a variety of whole, plant-based foods has made feel the best since I was in high school.

I've talked to many people who don't believe that just following a vegan diet can "cure" so many of the medical conditions Dr. McDougall claims. I can't say that my diet will make everyone feel better, but I surely can recommend that they try it and see. Is 12 days too long to see if something will make you feel better? So many people have the initial reaction of "Oh, I could never give up meat and dairy!" or "I couldn't live without cheese!" I have a moment of sadness for them at that point, because I realize that they are dooming themselves to continued problems and deteriorating health for the rest of their lives! And it doesn't have to be that way. I try to simply smile and accept their choice, as I give them the information that they aren't ready to hear yet. What helps me accept their choices, is the hope that maybe they did hear me a little bit, and when they are tired of suffering, tired of being overweight, tired of being tired, they will give this lifestyle a try, and experience good health for themselves.

Quite a few people, friends and even some members of my own family are skeptical of this lifestyle choice. They often are either combative about it, or consider me arrogant for trying to let them know how much good this change has done for me. So I try to only talk to them about it if I'm asked. I'm happy to talk about it with people, but don't want to appear forceful in my enthusiasm for this way of life. It is so very difficult to remain silent when I see so many people suffering, and I might be able to help them help themselves by giving them this knowledge.

Stats:

My starting cholesterol was around 199 when I was 35. At my last physical two years ago it was under 130. I've cut most fat and oil out of my diet, and have never felt better, stronger, or healthier!