Happy Autumn!

Pat's breakfast "burrito"

1 patty of lean sausage
1 egg
1/2 cup of diced fresh or frozen spinach
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 bulb of vidalia onion
2 tbs basil, fresh or dry
1 tsp canola oil
1 freshly washed lettuce leaf.

heat cast iron skillet, 'season' it with 1 tsp canola or olive oil and add garlic. Once the garlic is light brown remove from skillet, add sausage, cook till done, add spinach and basil, stir fry and add egg. Scramble. put mixture aside.

Remove the lettuce leaf by gently cutting the outside leaf from the stalk base. Gently roll it from top to bottom and remove. This will keep it from tearing. When you place it on a plate you will see that it makes a natural cup. Place your mixture in this indentation, and tucking the bottom of the leaf in, roll the rest of the lettuce mixture up like you would a burrito.
Makes for an excellent, filling breakfast. Of course I am eager to try this with beef or chicken as well.

Fall produce is coming in, but it's still expensive. And besides, I am having difficulty parting with fresh ripe strawberries and grapes. These products have already been delegated to the back aisles in the produce section, no longer taking prominence in the great bins up front.

There are still some melons left, and I'd still like to get one if they still have them in October. But now my favorite pears, the rich golden toned pears which are so sweet and succulent and juice are just perfect for a frosty early morning breakfast. And mangos are coming down in price I've seen as well as tons of apples and citrus fruits. The Ruby Red grapefruits will be coming up from the Valley soon and I'm looking forward to them as well. And I am so looking forward to acorn squash. JW asked me how I'd prepare it without the standard butter and brown sugar, and Isaid that was easy. I'd just lightly coat the top with olive oil to keep it from drying out, pack the hole (after removing the pulp) with walnuts, raisins, dates and other goodies and bake it.

And there are nuts. The Cherokee call this month dulisdi (doo LEE sss dee) and it means 'nut month.' and nuts of all shapes and sizes are making their way to the store as we speak. I'm looking forward to my stash of filberts, walnuts and pecans. My neighbor has a pecan tree (its loaded) and I'm going to go ask if I can collect a pound or two. And she said I could have some mustard greens as well, so I'll try and drop by in a few days and ask.

Last night I actually had a craving for something healthy. . . Red grapes and walnuts. One of the things that I noticed with these cravings is that the smell of neolithic food smells much better than it tastes. So last night when JW enjoyed a bowl of popcorn, I savored the smell but didn't eat any. The last time I tried popcorn after being Paleo for a few months was the sudden and uncomfortable realization that popcorn tastes like greasy/salted/styrofoam. So I studied my tastebuds and discovered I was in the mood for grapes and walnuts, which I happily snacked on while vegging out in front of the tv.

2
I'm planning my first 5k walk/run. I strongly suspect that there'll be lots more walking than running involved as it's scheduled for Oct 10th. Now planning on it and actually getting to do it are two different things. There is after all a 15 dollar fee and the gas to go to Daingerfield to do it. But if JW is as bored as I suspect he is, then he'll probably be eager to get out of the house as I am.
The thing is...is that I'm afraid of catching the H1N1. The only thing that frightense me more is if John or Jonathan catches it. I'm insisting on flu shots this year. So, we'll see. There's still plenty of training to do in the mean time. And I want to find another stash of cherries, even if they're fresh frozen. I found they worked wonders for inflammation, especially in my lungs. I'm constructing a recipe (in the back of my head) for energy snacks for when I start doing longer runs. Cherries, grapes and home jerked roast beef are likely candidates. (I never ever eat the jerked crap in the store. It's too full of preservatives and it smells like ass.) I'll share the recipe as soon as I get the ingredients and see if it's helpful.
-3-
I did not run this morning, as it's an 'off' day. I run every other day in order for my body to recover from the previous day's run. When I was younger I didn't do this, and ended up with a rampaging case of shin spints. Now, I know better, and although my inner 19 year old wants to do everything,and all of it like, right now, and at WARP 9, my 51 year old self has learned to be more conservative.

I'm becoming more aware of my muscles. How tight my achelles tendons are (the thick tendon that lashes your calf muscles to your heel bone) how my calves are rock hard but my quads are not,which is causing the ligaments to be over or under extended. it's not as dire as it sounds. All this takes is a little stretching. I found some excellent stretching exercises on the cool running site and have been integrating them into my running routine. As well as a healthy amount of yoga. I did 50 minutes of the Flow Series: water this morning. Found some of the poses challenging whereas most of them were not. I did get a good stretch from it tho and my achelles tendons aren't as sore as they have been. Of course, it was total bliss to get a foot rub from JW last night, and a promise for new shoes. I'm running in walking shoes, they're old and broken down. I need new ones and soon. That'll be next on my shopping list.
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Today's Flight Plan:

up @ 6 (it stormed during the night but I was blissfully unaware)
waking samarai
breakfast
7 am practice (tuedsdays mahamudra of impermanence and emptiness)
one hour of yoga
read email
blogged

11 am
Reading: Heart Treasure (I somehow got ahead of the assigned readings. I'm not sure whether I should continue or wait and catch up with the assignments)
practice: middling Three Cauldrons
Lunch: (dunno yet.)
1 pm Class with Lama Jigme

3pm Reading: Heart of Compassion.
I'm leaving the rest of the evening open because my cousin from Tulsa is in and wants us to visit. We'll see.