Whistle While You Work

I had a bit of trouble with the first picture I took. Blogger didn't like it. And, really, it WAS a terrible picture. Blurred, uninteresting etc. So I went to find another subject to photograph and here it is. Interior of folded magazine page bowl. TJ Maxx, I believe, but you can find this stuff everywhere now. I knew iPhoto was smart but I wasn't aware it had critical artistic abilities.

I'm hoping to "Whistle While I Work" today. I think this means enjoying what I am doing. I bought ProMix for my seed starting and I want to stitch some fabrics together and even do some painting of fabric today. I do have to go out and hunt and gather food from the grocery today and walk the dog but that's about all.

I somehow managed to watch Alton Brown's Good Eats late last night. This happened to be the program where he talked about his recent diet and the 50 pounds he lost. He had a large 50 pound block of lard as his visual aid.

Alton's diet has three parts. Daily: Fruit, whole grains, leafy greens, nuts, carrots, green tea. Three times a week: Oily fish, yogurt, broccoli, sweet potato, avocado. One time a week: Red meat, pasta, dessert, alcohol. Alton makes the one drink a BIG martini. Never: Fast food, soda, processed meals, canned soup, anything with the word "diet" on the label. Always eat breakfast.

Alton's breakfast is a fruit smoothie. Frozen (Publix) fruits in 4 ounce portions for a total of 24 ounces including 4 ounces of soy milk. He buys over ripe on sale bananas and peels and wraps and freezes them. Says he buys them for 38 cents a bunch on the sale table. Anyway, 4 ounces of soy milk, frozen strawberries, blueberries, banana, mango and peaches. He slowly starts the smoothie machine and blends up to medium speed for 30 seconds. Then stops, starts again, and blends in a vortex for a full minute. By then, it is very smooth. He drinks this every morning.

Alton's oily fish of choice is a can of tiny sardines. He refers to them as "Bristling". He eats them straight from the can with stainless chopsticks. Slowly. Savoring the crunch of their tiny bones. Or he toasts whole grain bread (after brushing with fish oil from the can), mashes an avocado and tops with a mixture of 2 cans "Bristling" and a vinaigrette made from the fish oil in the other can plus vinegar and a few herbs. He makes this into an open face toast sandwich.

When I was a small child, I was given a squirt of Cod Liver Oil every single morning (right on my tongue) followed by an orange juice chaser. Let's all just sit and contemplate that flavor duo. I don't drink orange juice. Ever. And Oily Fish? Unless it is fully submerged in butter sauce, it isn't going in my mouth. I think all those morning squirts of fishy oil were plenty for this girl. Enough to last a lifetime.

Yesterday, I worked the front counter (cash register), not my comfort zone. My greenhouse was being opened and set up and I could only watch from the other side of the world, it seemed. So close, but so far away. Same as last year. I had to work the cash register for a whole month while the greenhouse and perennial yard was being filled with plants. THEN, I could go and water and straighten to my heart's content. But, I am doing much better on the cash register this year. J & E, the two winter guys, taught me the "easy" way to do things and I listened. I did discounts, tickets, spring bonds and gift certificates. Really, I was proud of myself. And then I was given a chocolate Birthday Cupcake because it was K's birthday. You can't refuse a Birthday Cupcake even when you are on a diet. Just can't.

The Mexican Casserole turned out to be very tasty yesterday. I may need to upgrade from mild enchilada sauce to medium or hot. I tried to find that great sauce Terry mentioned in her blog but we don't seem to have it here in Maine. I will look for it in Atlanta in the fall when I visit K. Time to get dressed and start whistling.