A Toast to Literacy

THE ORIGINAL LINK BELOW WHERE THIS WAS POSTED IS UNFORTUNATELY NO LONGER ACTIVE. I HOPE THEY PA WINE SITE WILL RECONSIDER ALL THE BEAUTIFUL STORIES THEY HAVE UN-POSTED THAT WERE SO ELOQUENTLY WRITTEN FOR THE READERS TO SHARE AND SPEND THEIR COLLECTIVE TIME ON.

http://www.pennsylvaniawine.com/WineStories/ReadStory.aspx?id=23

...a few spell check typos included...this is as it was published...enjoy and the link above has wonderful information to read about PA vineyards and wineries.

A Toast to Literacy
john s
My fiance and I attended Briar Valley Vineyards & Winery in Bedford, Pennsylvania and had a grand time.

Currently we reside together in Cumberland, Maryland, a stone’s throw away from Bedford, Pennsylvania as well as a beautiful drive up Route 220.

This was our second visit to a vineyard and/or winery that we shared together, and it could not have been more fruitful, in any sense of the word.

We had been wanting to visit a vineyard together for quite some time. Briar Valley Vineyard and Winery was one we had previously read about and we each intuitively knew that our wonderful day trip was now set, after we read about the attempt to break the world record for most participants toasting at the same time!

Hopefully one day, we will all enjoy setting the world record together, but Europe is tough competition, especially when it comes to wine, cheese and toasting.

I for one will show up every year until we set the record, which I hope, as a wine lover, takes a very, very, long time.

Wine, cheese, and toasting combined together well this day, as they always do, as each is an integral and inseparable part from the other.

I was born in Pennsylvania and have always held in close to my heart. My fiance loves Pennsylvania as well. I own a home in Pittsburgh too and one of our favorite day or evening trips is into the Buchanan State Forest in Pennsylvania. It is a gorgeous protected State Forest that has stunning floral and fauna, as well as a past President’s tomb. The day we looked that information up together just happened to be James Buchanan’s birthday, April 23.

This is a great example of utilizing access to information in order to learn more, broaden horizons, and enhance life with even more meaning, all through literacy.

Reading and education are imperative to progress and are catalysts that release the power of knowledge that I pray will hopefully be well coddled with the peacefulness of wisdom before being utilized.

Everyday, I can conceivably become even more literate, however, to first achieve that gift, I was taught in fine public schools by fine teachers as well as raised by educated parents, each having been teachers themselves, who taught me well. Collectively, these personal influences have made me a life long poet, a some what published author (articles), a musician, and equally has enhanced my life as well as others lives in ways I cannot possibly pay back in full.

I felt compelled to write this story and hope that it may be printed, because the truth herein is that this email is so eerily wonderfully similar to the culmination of some of my very own life’s work and experiences.

The email I received provoked many wondrous feelings I feel I must share with others, as we each work through our countries difficult transition, hopefully back on the road to prosperity.

Prosperity is found in language.

Language, like each of us, has strong rooted permanent origins, that typically hold the exact and original denotation (specific dictionary meaning) of any particular word.

The best teaching and influence can come from home and be an essential developmental and impressionable tool utilized by all families. That is really what this contest of writing is about, sharing this gift and offering it to all, especially our future, our youth.

I hope to demonstrate that someone who thought they could and would never write at all, much less write poetry, would write a story compelling others to share in this art I so well love.

I can attribute a lot of that gift to my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Gray, of Alexandria, Virginia, as well as my folks and siblings.

When I wrote re-search papers, my Father would give them a look over, and always, and I mean always, find the mistakes, like the most proficient editor, but more importantly, he wanted me to understand how to convey a clear and concise thought in words so that it would be interpreted the way of it’s (the writing’s) original intent.

He is a retired West Point Colonel, and was stationed in Carlisle when I was born.

He worked at the Pentagon, and was very valuable with his verbal skills, especially when it came to law.

By profession, he is a soldier, a Mathematician, and an Engineer.

He has always stressed education and still to this day is very active in Virginia with MathCounts. My fiance and I have enjoyed sharing this event on a local and State level with my Father and our friends, and it is yet another example of literacy, as Math is a language as well. Perhaps, not a fluid spoken language, but a language, none the less, with many shared attributes.

As men and women create concepts in their minds, what had origin in thought first becomes words next.

To understand anything conceptually on an educated level one must delve into the books, study, and work hard.

If one does not have a fundamental level of literacy, how can we make progress and live more fruitful lives?

Literacy from the earliest level of education, all the way to the pinnacles of careers, is always of paramount importance, and the emphasis of this concept typically flourishes best when it starts at home, grounded in family and values.

Please visit this link below and learn more, each of us can make a difference as individuals.

The day we attended the world record setting toasting attempt is quite reminiscent and equally shocking to look back at!

We made a live toast with Mario Andretti ! Wow !...that was a BLAST...Mario Andretti...now I am a man of forty-three years and a racing fan, yet I had no clue, even after watching him all my life, that he was a life long resident of Pennsylvania.

That gave me warm fuzzies just to learn that about Mario Andretti on the day we all shared together.

There is just something about having commonalities that makes moments even more precious then they otherwise would have been, even although already precious in other ways.

We ate homemade cheese at the event that day, brought to us by the owners who hand crafted the cheeses at a cheese cellar owned and operated by them, who we personally met. The family owned cheese cellar is named, Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, L.L.C.

We spoke cheese together a bit that day while we sampled many cheeses in order to choose our personal selections to purchase and bring home. The cheeses were and are true Pennsylvania delicacies.

The folks (owners) could not have been more gracious and the taste bud tickling cheeses we ate that day with assorted rice crackers were the perfect palette cleansing compliment to, honestly, some of the finest wines I have ever tasted.

They were indeed so gracious that we were invited by the owners to come and visit them and make some cheese...another Wow...just sends feel good shivers all over. Cheese making starts early at the cheese cellar, about 4:30 - 5:00 a.m.



We have yet to take them up on that offer, but certainly will and have looked forward to it. As each day passes until then, we sharpen up on our cheese ”ology”, and are looking forward to a day with those wonderful folks living their dream as a family on a farm, perhaps that is a story I will write as well after we make our trip.

Our time together with you all was delightful thus far and we hope to see you again soon.

I look forward to meeting with them and they said typically at the days end, the cheese that did not make it to us (quality control baby!), gets placed on a bunch of homemade pizzas! I will work all day long for a homemade pizza!

Back at the event of the day, after speaking with the wonderful folks from Clover Creek Cheese Cellars, the organizers started giving away prizes by randomly drawing our filled out tickets from a jar. At that instance, the prize that my fiance said she liked earlier in the day, a small cork board, came to mind very strongly, and I told her she was going to win it for sure. She won exactly as I knew she would. I think we were equally shocked.

She wanted this beautiful gift to commemorate our experience together on that day, as well as the future trips we would certainly take to many Pennsylvania vineyards, like our previous trip to Gravity Hill in Pennsylvania, as well as a great stop at Helixville Winery.

This small cork board is to glue corks onto to collect and remember those times, not to different then the sculpture for literacy in many ways.

Wine tasting is a learned art as wine making is a learned craft.

Making or tasting wine share at least this huge commonality. The love for the wine itself along with all the many wines varied nuances.

Be it a robust bouquet, a bountiful blush color that glows in the warm sunlight, or a sweet yet dry taste the makes the mouth water, one thing for sure is that Pennsylvania wines are here to stay and enjoy together

I strongly suggest at least a day trip to bring home some blessed ”sweet mountain nectar” to share with your loved ones. The easiest way is to utilize the links herein please, that is why I suggested these great places, purely from experience...very good experiences...so the best thing is to plan a safe trip to and from a Pennsylvania winery or vineyard and make the best of a day, if not a weekend or family vacation.

Back at the toast, we heard an artist play live acoustic guitar that he accompanied with singing that was perfectly suited for this day of events. The artist was local and I made sure to speak to him for a moment too, as I too am a musician and musical enthusiast and wanted to say thanks for the great entertainment.

A glass of wine each in our hands, my fiance and I sat under a small tent at the end of the day and reflected back on our last few hours while we listened to the acoustic tunes, also hand crafted, while we soaked in a little sun, as it was setting softly over the hills and warmly gently bathing us.

There is really nothing quite like sharing love with the woman of my dreams, in Pennsylvania, with homemade cheese, along, with Mario Andretti toasting to boot (and this was a live web cast, very up to date technology) as well as we won a prize !...all after sampling some fantastic wines, of which I will describe to you, as they left an impression this long after.

We bought a bottle of Reiseling and a bottle of Gewurztraminer This was a difficult decision as well after we compared notes after the tasting and then decided which two we would most enjoy together. There were that many great wines being offered.

The favorites we chose to take home were The Briar Valley Vineyard and Winery Riesling (2007) and Gewurztraminer (2007).

The Riesling was light yet robust, sweet and a touch dry as one likes. The bouquet was full and pleasant, a true compliment to what was to come. The colour caught brilliant light and was equally stunning for me. The taste was impeccable. Then we had the Gewurztraminer which blew me away, quite literally.

This is the best wine I think I have ever tasted Now I am no professional well esteemed connoisseur, but I have a decent pallet, and you either develop that or you do not. I never knew I would until I did, that was just how that worked out, as I enjoyed wine tastings, visits, and festivals with my friends.

The Gewurztraminer, which was my first of this variety, was to me the essence of the perfect wine in my mind’s eye. Look for a bottle of this and I feel positive you will agree. The experience to share is yours and I feel words cannot describe just how classic a wine this treasure is. Watch out Napa Valley.

As a wine lover and aficionado through experience and visits in the mid Atlantic region, Pennsylvania is swiftly becoming, if not already, some of the finest agricultural real estate in which to grow some of the finest wines in the country and in the world! The state has wonderful labor available too, as well as in infrastructure that typically promotes agriculture and ”green era” industry.

The economy and the ecosystem are changing, and seemingly, especially to the benefit of Pennsylvanians. This is the time to move forward, with literacy at home as a major emphasis, into a new era, the ”green era”, as we re-build our country together.

This link is to an article I wrote that was posted up by The United States Department of Energy, proving that some of our government is reading what we average citizens write and taking note of it as well as sharing this vision together. Literacy has given me vision. The vision of better futures for us all.

Pennsylvania is proof positive of this fact of ”green prosperity”, and I believe perhaps a role model towards the vision I personally have and share with others concerning our future in the United States. We can grow and eat healthier foods, and do much more of that at home with our communities.

It is wonderful to realize that vineyards are prospering in our state’s agriculture and that a family can own and produce cheese and support themselves, while offering a beautiful food for so many to share.

The gift my fiance won was a cork board to glue corks on that we have collected. We are collecting slowly and responsibly now, and gluing later.

We would like to donate one of the corks from that very day to be a part of the sculpture, as we would like to be forever tied to the art, Pennsylvania, and the true spirit of this literacy mission.

I left my link above to make a point that literacy works. It has worked for me well, and is indeed a gift. This gift truly gives back, and quickly.

It is through literacy that we may learn and share vision so that we may blend our futures as artisans craft and blend the wines and cheeses we so enjoyed on that particular day.

I want to extend a special thanks to Mario Andretti, Briar Valley Vineyards and Winery, and the wonderful folks from Clover Creek Cheese Cellar.

Hope to be seeing you all soon.

John S. Swygert

WHEN POSTED, THE LINKS WERE NOT PUBLISHED, SO I INCLUDED THEM HERE IN A LIST FORM, THEY SHOULD BE FAIRLY OBVIOUS WHERE THEY GO AND WHAT EACH PERTAIN TO...ENJOY !!!:

http://www.briarvalleywinery.com/

http://www.pennsylvaniawine.com/OverviewToast.aspx

https://mathcounts.org/sslpage.aspx

http://www.famlit.org/

http://clovercreekcheese.com/

http://www.visitbedfordcounty.com/helixvillewinery/index.htm

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/news_detail.html?news_id=16404

UPDATE Re: Excessive Heat and Concern for Safety of Rides at The County Fair

UPDATE

07-21-2011

Commissioner Valentine called me today at appx. 4 p.m. and explained that there are indeed precautions now being taken at the fair grounds, and although the rides cannot be forced to shut down, they are working closely with the fairs manager to either, warn of the excessive heat and its serious possible imminent dangers to any riders or hopefully exercise the latter judgement and are urging them to just shut down the enclosed rides.

I commend the serious and decisive action you have taken from the emails I have sent out and only hope to have no un-needed heart ache for anyone else.

Great responses here at CC as well and I appreciate that we have this wonderful platform in which our shared voices are heard as we share and grow together.

Thanks Mr. Valentine and supporting others...

peace friends

Heat threat at rides at the county fair ~ letter to our mayor

Perhaps you can pass this along to the proper jurisdiction and agency...yesterday, Tuesday, July 19, 2011 our family attended the fair...after 30 mins at most, my fiance's son got in the ride, I believe called the "tornado", and it is next to the, "zipper". If it is not "tornado", it is "twister". It is closed in and was at least 120 degrees inside and Tyler was instantly in major trouble quick (more quickly then the ride was able to come to a stop), as he had slurred speech, massive cramping, and his hands were distorted from cramps almost as if he had cerebral palsy or a seizure. His legs were cramping so bad he could not walk or much less, stand. The point is, especially with the massive heat perhaps peaking tomorrow, that this ride needs to be shut down. It is enclosed, in the heat, more dangerously the heat trapped inside and then it spins. I spoke to Ed (last name eludes me, sorry), a friend that worked for Ed Mullaney for a long time, and his girlfriend's son had to go home after this very same ride, as it bothered him very badly as well. This thing is a death trap and is dangerous. I am hoping that you can let me know by tonight, Wednesday July 20, 2011, this will be addressed properly with your kind assistance, as we figured you would know whom to speak with and get appropriate and immediate action before we have a tragedy which cannot be reversed. We were prepared for the heat, well hydrated, and dressed well and it just goes to show that you can never be to careful in this type of weather. 240 522 24xx is my cell text voice mail...or email is fine as well. If I do not hear back tonight, or early in the morning on Thursday, I will call around until I get some action, I just wanted you to have the opportunity to do so first with perhaps the most tactful and efficient method. I hope their is a protocol that already exists to properly address these come uppances. Thanks, Steve Swygert

John Stephen Swygert

Response to Huffington Post Article about Legalization of Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes

ORIGINAL HUFFINGTON POST ARTICLE LINK

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/09/feds-rule-marijuana-has-no-accepted-medicinal-use_n_893894.html

MY RESPONSE - TO LONG TO POST AT THE ARTICLE END...I POSTED WITH THE LINK TO MY BLOG INSTEAD

What is to argue here ??? It should be legal on a Federal and State level...when medicine fails and it does constantly...and there is a natural plant that can help folks who are ill...including myself...it is obvious what needs to be done...in a democracy this would have happened very quickly.

WE DO NOT HAVE A DEMOCRACY...THE GOVERNMENT...we are lied too repeatedly, have our money earned taxed and then mis-spent, should be bankrupt as a nation, and are on the edge of a civil war and perhaps a world war...I was a conservative am now more liberal to very liberal however consider myself a realist...not a make believer like the major parties...we have a great Constitution and a crap government built on top of it...throw out the trash...all of it...and build anew on the solid foundation that we have.

I studied Police Science, in which I earned a degree, and most of my instructors, who had been police officers, stated many times that marijuana should be legal...that was in the late 80's and early 90's...the drug war has now been called a miserable failure, and most all legitimate studies prove that MJ has great medicinal purposes.

Who should we listen too...cancer patients, AIDS patients, and other severely ill to terminally ill folks...or...politicians that are clueless...we are quickly becoming a laughing stock in the world more then ever and seem to relish in the spotlight.

I love the U.S.A. and I love the citizens and their great spirit. However, if things do not change at a rapid pace never before seen...it is the end for this country...ROME IS BURNING AND HAS BEEN FOR A LONG WHILE...there are so many important issues.

The main issue should be how to rebuild government from scratch on top of the Constitution and doing it in an efficient and peaceful manner...for example...I have spinal stenosis, slipped discs in the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical regions, a broken vertebrae in my lumbar, and three vertebrates the doctors want to fuse in my neck (cervical region)...by legal definition from the Social Security Administration I should 100% be declared disabled...under all three sections conforming to spinal stenosis alone...but instead...I am suffering and losing my dreams before my eyes as I have to fight a legal battle for over two years now to gain social security disability...these laws are written very specifically and an MRI is definitive proof that any reasonable man much less a doctor can clearly see that I am a mess.

Here are the definitions from Social Security:


1.04 Disorders of the spine (e.g., herniated nucleus pulposus, spinal arachnoiditis, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, facet arthritis, vertebral fracture), resulting in compromise of a nerve root (including the cauda equina) or the spinal cord. With:
A. Evidence of nerve root compression characterized by neuro-anatomic distribution of pain, limitation of motion of the spine, motor loss (atrophy with associated muscle weakness or muscle weakness) accompanied by sensory or reflex loss and, if there is involvement of the lower back, positive straight-leg raising test (sitting and supine);
OR
B. Spinal arachnoiditis, confirmed by an operative note or pathology report of tissue biopsy, or by appropriate medically acceptable imaging, manifested by severe burning or painful dysesthesia, resulting in the need for changes in position or posture more than once every 2 hours;
or
C. Lumbar spinal stenosis resulting in pseudoclaudication, established by findings on appropriate medically acceptable imaging, manifested by chronic nonradicular pain and weakness, and resulting in inability to ambulate effectively, as defined in 1.00B2b.




I have other health issues as well that are severe...I am tired of watching this country trample its very own citizens and fight wars in places we have no business...the government creates the problems because the system is inefficient and we have pathetic foreign and at home policy...if the government was my friend and treated me like this...I would never speak to them again...why do we tolerate the BS that we do ??? I may be ill, but I am mindful, educated, wise and will put up a peaceful fight for the rights that are being stripped from us...this is not about political parties anymore...this is about the survival of The United States of America...go to care2 and sign petitions for what you believe in...write letters and use the net to make your voice heard with the masses that agree.

WE MUST DEMAND CHANGE...united and together...and if we believe in something keep working diligently on progress together, always peacefully, and stay steadfast to our principles...read the Constitution and Bill of Rights...paste links up everywhere so others may read these documents as well, and have candid peaceful argument and discussion...open the mind and work hard together and we shall overcome as before...OR ELSE...WELL, AGAIN...ROME IS BURNING.

History teaches that all things repeat themselves without proper intervention...so why does it appear no one is paying attention...or that lots are paying attention perhaps and are just doing nothing about it...or are ou proverbial hands already tied ? Civil Rights are a promise...however, they are constantly infringed upon and/or taken away through our despicable so called democracy...we are no where near a democracy, or even bureaucracy anymore...we are getting closer and closer to A POLICE STATE with the advent of modern technology, including but not limited to, computers and imaging for instance.

So back to marijuana...supposing I smoked a few joints a day and it helped my medical problems and caused no harm to anyone else, and I stay a citizen in good standing...and it is legal and it is taxed and it is a great marketplace for our currently stumbling at best, failing economy...hypothesize these things and then ask yourself...what is the logic any reasonable citizen can argue that makes legalization an issue.

Decriminalizing marijuana alone would take a huge onus off of the law enforcement agencies at every level and save billions of dollars...in 1990 while I was in college it was nearly $ 40,000 per year to keep a prisoner incarcerated!

That outdated number must be astronomical in comparison today. There are so many valid reasons or pros to this argument, and really no reasonable drawbacks, negatives or cons...however anyone prefers to say it....SPIN, MEDIA, DOLLARS, POLITICS...are all mostly despicable, minus a few great folks that understand the bigger picture...ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO are legal and kill far more then marijuana has or ever will !!! That is a fact.

...and I will close with this...how many FDA approved drugs have you seen being advertised on television lately for causing major complications and/or death with lawyers just lining up and begging patients to call so they can sue the drug manufacturers?

The FDA is a laughing stock and extension of this out of control government that is all about the dollar.

Capitalism is wonderful in theory when it is about creating solid marketplaces and selling great products that are useful to all and safe for all. It is wonderful when it creates jobs and increases cash through domestic and international import and export. It is a shame on the U.S.A. that greed now rules most all market places and is therefore thwarting the natural and pure and good course of capitalism.

Marijuana and its ongoing debate clearly show everyone our ineptitude as a collective stagnant government and can easily be overlayed upon most all issues we are confronted with today and parallels and corollaries drawn that are precisely or very closely related that demonstrate why we have become so clearly sluggish and ineffective at creating rapid change,...at a time when it is most needed for our countries survival.

NORML (The National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws) was founded by Keith Stroup an attorney, over 40 years ago...40 years!!! The organization has been the strongest proponent of legalization for medicinal marijuana...this is 2011 and it is clearly time to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

I am also an artist and hope you will listen to my tune, " LEGALIZE WEED 2011". I wrote and played and recorded this in a fun style that is twangy...but the words to the song say what needs to be said quite simply...enjoy the song, share it with friends, write letters and sign petitions and become active in a constructive and peaceful way that demand change and demands that change today!

Peace, Steve of MobiusTripz here is a link to the song...

http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/song_details/6357547

It is free...crank it up, have a laugh and enjoy it...then help make a difference I urge you !...Peace Friends, Steve

Day Dreams and Pipe Dreams

I have day dreams and night dreams,
am I living in fantasy?
Life is passing quiclky now,
My dreams dying right in front of me.

Onward I will venture out,
and further define myself,
such a long project,
will I finally break out.

May I come home one day with treasures to give to all?
Will I have made a difference that helped others?

The treads on feet may where thin,
and lash out at the very soul,
lessons not always easy,
I always try to share console.

Pain as deep as one can feel,
often overwhelms at times like these,
however, I envision a beautiful more fruitful future,
for each our destiny.

Adventure well, and adventure, far, and offer all you have,
too Love any other way simply leaves one feeling sad.

Peace Always

Green Dinner !...A Great Dinner To Celebrate A Great Day

Here is my wonderful dinner (really early this morning)I ate after walk and some great blues played by Gary Brown and Bushmaster.

Baked, boneless pork chops with Hebrew National sauerkraut.

Simple preperation: in a pyrex baking dish, add pork chops and cover with water just barely, then place sauerkraut on top and cover completely with foil. Bake on 350 for one and a half hours, or until the pork is just beyond pinkish in color.
If you like spicy, top with chopped/diced hot peppers !

Simply wonderful as it falls apart tenderly on your palette ...

next is a great salad if your adventuresome...

Pick dandelion greens from the yard and rinse well...then chop, dice, or cut to the size of your liking.

Next add parmesan cheese, apple cider vinegar, diced onion, diced garlic, olive oil, chopped hot pepper (I used pickled HOT bananna pepper), mustard, lemon juice, and honey...

...be creative and use each ingredient to your level of taste...or simply use the ingredients you like...then gently toss and let stand a bit so that the dandelion leaves may absorb some of the juice.

These ingredients compliment one another...both on the palette as well as the way the compounds interact within the digestive system...I suffer from acid reflux...yet...this dish does not bother me in the slightest...for me the main thing to stay away from are the fats (animal fats not vegetable which are typically very healthy, i.e. olive oil).

Dandelion is a very very healthy green, under utilized, and free.

It has more nutrients then any green that you typically see at the super market or even farmer's market...simply pick from the yard or garden and never use any that has been near the roadside or any other area where drainage or run off can be an issue, as greens may easily become contaminated. If there are blooms available...simply top the salad with them as well as they are very tasty and you may even add clover blooms (similar to honey suckle in flavor).

This salad is a mighty toxin fighting salad that is especially great at cleansing the vital organs, such as the kidneys and liver in particular, as well as the blood. The peppers may make you break a sweat and the vinegar and combined explosive flavors of the other ingredients will take your tastebuds on a heck of a ride...but enjoy it and be thanksful and prayerful as you chew each bite thoroughly with the knowingness of the help and nourishment your are bringing to your bodies health and mental, emotional, and spiritual well being.

For dessert, I had a simple generic corn meal powdered english muffin topped with Braswell's Pear Preserves and some dried plums. Talk about yummy and NO PRESERVATIVES...why eat junk you do not need and that has no nutritional value...???...have you ever contemplated that?

My beverage was a simple tea (homemade lipton iced tea lightly sweetened). I would have used UN-bleached sugar or otherwise known as natural cane sugar, but I had none on hand so I used regular white table sugar (BLEACHED)...yuck! I then added my strong homemade concentrated tea that I boiled and added home grown spearmint into...what a wonderful fresh taste, and again...very very healthy and cleansing.!

When I am out of this sugar...no more WHITE sugar...I will only buy natural cane sugar and cut my overall consumption down making this more expensive sugar last longer and therfore justifying the price that way, not to mention that it is just more healthy a sugar to consume...so double justification !!!

This meal was very filling and healthy and I only needed small portions of each course of this meal to be fully satisfied...total cost may have been $ 2.00...that is today in 2011, and it was a super healthy and well balanced meal...hard to believe what some creative cooking can bring to the table and at such a great price.

I have enough pork and sauerkraut for several more meals when ready, be it immediately, or frozen in dinner size portions.

Our food chain is contaminated with junk !!!...I do not always eat so healthfully minded, but as I become even more acutely aware of the garbage we are sold by the grociers and marketd by the manufacturers, I cannot help but think and realize and thus act in a different way that is really actually innate.

Eating this way feels healthy because it is, and I can immediately feel it with added vigor and sharpness that I could feel I was lacking. The foods most of us have come accustomed to eating are anything but natural or healthy.

In the meantime I am getting older (43) and less easily able to gain the nutrients needed and also compounding the problem is that I have health issues that I want to reverse, at least as best possible if not fully.

Diet alone can make the world you live in filled with much more vitality if you eat carefully and choose well.


Enjoy and as always...bon appetit !

Peace and Love...Steve

just a simple thanks to friends family and loved ones

What's more shiny ??? my glasses or my forehead ???...lol...20 lbs lighter at 165...and two inches shorter then my old 5'9"...now 5'7" with a broken back, slipped discs in all three regions of the spine, massive spinal cord compression, leaking spianl fluid, and spinal stenosis through out...but having better and better days now...walking many miles at least every other day and changing my eating habits...youth can return and I pray it keeps coming...and dyed the hair black...PAPA ROACH STYLE...WTF...enjoying the hair that is still left...lol...thought I would jot down some thoughts to share with friends as well as document my doing my best to avoid surgery...I was told surgery is inevitable as i was at the doc...who looked at me as though I should not be able to walk well at all or have function in my arms and legs as I do...and I have nerve damage down the left side too after testing performed by my neurosurgeon...after seeing my lumbar and thoracic and especially my cervical (neck) MRI...broken vertebrae in lumbar, slipped discs through out all regions, spinal fluid leaking, spinal stenosis through out...neurologist and neurosurgeon suggest fusion of three cervical vertebraes...I say prayer, hard work, some days better then others, and prayer from family and friends and I will heal. I am as stubborn as ever and will avoid surgery at virtually any cost but not from stupidity...and I believe in PRAYER and need your support if you see these words...PRAYER, LOVE AND MUSIC heal ALONG WITH BELIEF AND HARDWORK...FB will be part of the chronology...a walker and a cane and pain and being stuck in bed and immobile made me think a lot and pray more...Thanks Rhonda, thanks friends, and Thanks GOD... for guiding me and providing much needed strength during yet another tough time and my apologies if I have seemed aloof to any of my dear friends and loved ones...I have been aloof recently...getting refocused very deeply now more then ever. Old dogs do learn new tricks...and this old dog wants to run with the young dogs a lot longer...and sincerely to all my friends and family...thanks...six letters that mean more then any words I have in my mind to express my thankfulness for you each and all. PEACE and LOVE ALWAYS...steve

pic link from 05 11 2011

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150274571905659.377660.583335658&l=184f39d770