Author: sandcastle

Carbohydrates are what mess up the blood sugar of those of us who have diabetes. Most people get most of their carbohydrates from bread, potatoes and pasta. But all fruits and nuts and most vegetables also contain carbs. So, trying to keep your carb levels low enough requires constant vigilance. I’m not so good at that.

Then, yesterday I read a blog written by a woman who eats NO carbs. At all. It appears there are many people who do this. If I ate no carbs I would have no blood sugar fluctuations. That would be a good thing.

So, what does one eat if carbs are not part of your diet? Animal products.

Yes, meat. Along with eggs and dairy products. And plenty of fat.

As much of those as you want. No measuring. Just eat when you are hungry and stop when you get full.

Eating enough fat helps you get full before you get tired of chewing. And keeps you regular without fiber according to the blogger.

Does eating only animal products sound boring to you? Here’s a partial list I made of what to eat.

Beef: hamburgers, roast, deli-sliced beef, steak, broth, tallow.

Pork: bacon, roast, chops, bacon grease, lard, ham depending on how it was cured

Fish: canned tuna, canned salmon, shrimp, fresh fish

Poultry: rotisserie chicken, roast turkey, deli-sliced turkey, broth, eggs

Dairy: butter, sour cream, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese

The blogger also seasons with herbs & spices, mayonnaise, and mustard.

I think even I can get enough variety in my meals using those ingredients.

So, I’m going to try it. Wish me luck.

TTYL,

Linda

ps. Lunch was sliced turkey, three strips of bacon, a slice of cheddar cheese, and a dab of mayo all chopped up and stirred together. I’m full.

pps. I forgot to tell you that a medical doctor/scientist I trust did a study and determined you get all the minerals and vitamins your body requires just eating meats. The ones you can only get from plants are not essential.

 

 

A comment in the novel I am currently reading made me start thinking about ink and pens.

When I was young, ink came in a bottle. A squat little bottle about as wide as it was tall. Inside was an extra wall of glass near the top that made a pocket along one side of the bottle. With the lid tightly closed, you tipped the bottle to move ink into that pocket, called a well. The ink in that well was what you used for writing.

The oldest pen I remember was made of wood. It was a long but slender cone shape with curves that made it easy to hold. In the wide end of that handle was a slot into which you pushed a nib. The nib was a small curved piece of metal that had a slot in the pointed end. Dipping that slot into the well of the ink bottle would draw ink up into it. That ink was what you used to write.

But you had to use the right amount of pressure. Not enough pressure would mean the ink didn’t release. Too much pressure would release too much ink and you would have a blot. It took practice to learn how much pressure to use.

This also meant your paper would be wet with the ink. To dry it, you placed a piece of paper known as blotting paper over the ink to remove the excess. Then you had to very carefully lift it. If you let the blotting paper slide against the writing paper the ink would smear.

In those days there was not really a thing as jotting off a quick note. Writing took concentration as to the process as well as to the words to be written.

The next style pen I remember is the fountain pen. The nib was permanently installed in that pen and it was attached to a bladder inside the handle. There was a small lever on one side of the handle. When you put the nib into the ink well, you would gently lift and release that lever which would then draw ink up into the bladder. The advantage of this pen was that it held more ink than just a nib so you could write more without having to get more ink all the time.

Then came the retractable ball point pen. It’s handle was in two parts but there was no nib. Instead inside the pen was a very thin tube that was pre-loaded with ink. At the top of the pen was a button you pushed to make the tube extend or retract by use of a spring inside the pen. This meant you could safely carry a pen in your pocket or purse without getting ink everywhere. At the nib end was a tiny ball that rotated when you moved it across paper releasing just enough ink to let you write. The tube being pre-loaded meant you no longer needed a bottle of ink. Instead, when the ball point pen ran out of ink you unscrewed the two halves of the handle, removed the ink tube, and inserted a new tube. No fuss, no muss. And no blots.

Then stick pens came along, These held the same type of ink tube but the handle did not come apart. When you ran out of ink, you threw away the pen and got a new one. These were part of the “everything is disposable” era and they are still around today as are some retractable pens.

But now we do most of our writing on a computer using no ink at all. When we do want to use ink it is held in a printer that is totally separate from the writing instrument.

Does that mean we are back where we started?

TTYL,

Linda

    

My main activity nowadays, other than computer stuff, is building Lego kits. This piano is made from Lego bricks and is sized to be played by one of the regular Lego people. Amazing, isn’t it?

TTYL,

Linda

I probably don’t have the details right but the concept was something like: A contest. Each contestant was given two empty shopping bags and told to go home and fill them. When they returned they would participate in a fashion show. The winner would win a month long cruise.

One woman returned with only one bag of clothes: tops, slacks, skirts, shorts, swim suits, etc. The other bag was filled with accessories: shoes, purses, belts, jewelry, and scarves.

Long after the other contestants had displayed all their outfits this woman just kept right on making more combinations. She won, of course.

How many shirts do you see in the pictures below?

One. How much room would those scarves take compared to seven more shirts? Can you imagine the variety if those scarves were tied differently? Maybe some as a belt? And how much more variety there would be if you added different combinations of  necklaces, broaches, bracelets, earrings, belts, shoes, and purses with only three different bottoms? Maybe a pair of slacks, a pair of palazzo pants, and a pencil skirt? Or wore a swim top with each of those bottoms?

You really don’t need a lot of clothes to have a widely varied wardrobe. Do you?

TTYL,

Linda

ps. You do need a place to do laundry, though.

One of the things I love about a new Lego set is seeing what details the designer came up with. This efficiency apartment offers many things that appeal to me.

A sofa bed that actually opens out.

A kitchenette with a stove, sink, shelves and a microwave oven.

A tiny bathroom that looks like it actually has water in the toilet.

And a model railroad. This is the type of railroad a lot of first time builders make. A circle of track that goes through a tunnel in a hillside in one corner. Extra cars stand ready on a nearby shelf.

We outgrew that type of track plan many years ago but the fact of this tiny railroad being included in a Lego-sized efficiency apartment makes my heart sing.

TTYL,

Linda