Can Curry Relieve Joint Pain?

Absolutely! I discovered this by accident after I had a bad fall on the sidewalk and wrenched my knee. Fortunately, nothing was broken, but for a couple of weeks my knee was swollen and sore. In fact, for a few days, it hurt too much to bear weight on it and I had to use a cane.

About a week after the fall, I had a craving for red curry. I was still in quite a bit of pain and it hurt to walk. So rather than hobble into a restaurant, I made a batch of curry at home. I noticed that about 20 minutes after I ate a big plate of it, my knee felt a lot better. Several hours later, the pain started coming back, which led me to wonder what was going on.

A little research showed that turmeric, an ingredient in curry, has long been used in Chinese and Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent. Curcurmin, the volatile oil that gives turmeric its intense yellow color, has the advantage of relieving pain and a host of other conditions, without side effects.

I have arthritis and have found that Western pharmaceuticals don't work for me. They simply don't relieve the pain. They do have a long list of side effects that would make them unacceptable to me for regular use, even if they did work. 

Since this discovery, I have been adding turmeric to soups, stews - wherever the flavor might be complementary - to keep my joints feeling better.

I also add cayenne pepper for its anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. I don't need a lot. I substitute it for black pepper in dishes like scrambled eggs. Just a dash will add a slight bit of heat and a whole lot of benefits. (If you are sensitive to nightshade plants, however, you might want to forego the cayenne.)

If you want to try this at home, red curry is very simple to make. I "cheat" and use bottled red curry sauce. If I use the Thai Kitchen brand, available locally at PCC stores, I add more turmeric, cayenne and ground ginger to it, because I like more spicy flavor. I also use Trader Joe's red curry sauce which doesn't (in my opinion) need much extra spice.

I start by sauteing vegetables. I like onions, garlic and red peppers, but you could use matchstick pieces of carrot or celery, whatever you like.

When the vegetables are softened, I add the curry sauce and let the mixture simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. Then I add shredded cooked chicken or shrimp, stir and simmer another minute or two.

While the sauce is simmering, I make rice and steam some broccoli. By the time the rice is done, everything else is ready to put onto the plate.

I like to put down a layer of rice, top it with the curry, put the broccoli on top and then garnish with a generous amount of chopped cilantro. If I have a lime handy, I squeeze some juice over it all.

And there you have it - As Hippocrates said, "Let your food be your medicine."

Under Winter Moon

How do you warm up on a bitter cold night in Seattle? You put on a blue polyester choir robe and join 59 other singers on stage, under hot lights, and put on a holiday concert!

On Sunday night, our SSCC Community Choir presented a show that offered something for everyone: Traditional Christmas carols, a community singalong, a beautiful classical piece sung a cappella in Latin, a rhythmic African carol accompanied by drummers, a series of Moravian carols, a rousing gospel rendition of Go Tell It On The Mountain that brought the house down and a lush ballad, Under Winter Moon, with a cello accompaniment.

I can't begin to tell you how much fun this music was to learn. And our audience obviously enjoyed the show. Some neighbors of mine were so inspired, in fact, that they have decided to join the choir!

For me, choir is the gift that keeps on giving. Rehearsals are a highlight of each week. The shows are great fun to do. And remembering the harmonies coming together and the smiling faces in the audience leaves me in a happy glow for days afterward.

I am very grateful to our talented music director, Paula Herd, who finds a way to plan a program each quarter that challenges and entertains us. We are also blessed to have Edie Martin, our patient pianist, who repeats difficult passages over and over and over until we get them right.

In 2014, we will celebrate the Community Choir's 30th anniversary. I can't wait for the first rehearsal!

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

In my last post, I told you about the short notice we were given to file an appeal to challenge the city's decision to allow the Alki 11 row house project to go forward. I described mounting an appeal in just 9 days as a "nearly impossible task."

But not completely impossible, it turns out. Thanks to neighbor, Marty McQuaid, an appeal was filed yesterday, citing the city's failure to meet state SEPA guidelines, and irregularities in the city's granting of lot boundary adjustments (LBAs), among other issues.

Read the appeal document, filed by land use attorney, Cynthia Kennedy. And the declaration from Marty McQuaid. The appeal was filed on behalf of the Alki Neighborhoods for Sensible Growth, a newly formed association comprised of residents affected by the Alki 11 development. The filing was covered by the West Seattle Blog.

For those of us involved in the controversy, it was a great relief to hear from the land use attorney that we have grounds to challenge the LBAs. It was clear to us from the beginning that two sets of row houses back to back, as the Alki 11 is proposed, would be illegal. The city clearly states that row houses cannot have principal residences behind them. But by rearranging the lot lines and declaring each set of row houses to be on a separate piece of property, the developer was able to turn an illegal project into a legal one.

This, not surprisingly, infuriated the neighbors who saw these LBAs as sneaky and underhanded. We were further frustrated by the fact that the city told us we couldn't address the issue of boundary adjustments in the review process. We were told that the project wasn't under land use review, only a SEPA review. Our objections had to be limited to the environmental aspects of the project. Period. We were told that our comments regarding design or land use would be disregarded. I felt like we had been issued a gag order.

It is clear to everyone that if the LBAs were not granted, this project would not be a row house project. It would be a town house project. If it were a town house project, subject to the same guidelines and requirements as the other town house developments on our street, there would not have been a protest.

If nothing else, appealing the city's decision will give us the opportunity, at long last, to bring attention to the LBA issue and let our objections be known.

No date has been set for a hearing. When it is, I will let you know.

The City Has Reached A Decision on The Alki 11 Rowhouse Project

Three months after the public meeting requested by Alki neighbors, the city has handed down a decision on the SEPA review of the Alki 11 rowhouse project. They have approved the project, over numerous neighborhood objections, with "conditions." The conditions all relate to conduct during construction and have no bearing on the design.

The city published the decision on the DPD website on October 10, but neighbors did not receive notification of the decision until October 15. We were given a deadline of October 24 for an appeal - just 9 days in which to review the decision and decide what, if any, grounds there might be for appeal. A nearly impossible task.

Needless to day, neighbors are very disappointed with the city's decision. Moreover, late notification for some people, with many names misspelled, and no notification at all for others, gives the impression of lack of respect on the part of city officials. None of this sits well. And we are not alone. All over the city, citizens are organizing and protesting runaway development and lack of consideration from the city. It will be interesting to see what affect this will have on the upcoming election in which we choose a mayor and members of city council.

Coverage of the decision on the West Seattle Blog contains links to the relevant documents. 

Alki Beach Sunsets

We have beautiful sunsets year around at Alki, but some of the best are now in late summer. Here are a few photos taken during recent after-dinner sunset walks. Most were shot looking across Puget Sound toward the Olympic Mountains.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

Will Today's Mega-Storm Cause Sewage Overflows in Puget Sound?

A major "weather event" is predicted for our area over the next 24-48 hours. For the details, take a look at UW meteorologist, Cliff Mass' blog post for today:  Unusual Rain Event to Hit the Northwest.  From one to 5 inches of rain is expected in various parts of the region, more rain than we typically get in the entire month of September around here.

In my neighborhood, the runoff goes into storm drains that tie directly into the sanitary sewer. The combined sewer lines carry all that waste water to pumping stations that send it to a treatment plant.

Because stormwater runoff is the major source of pollution in Puget Sound, you might think that sending that stormwater off to a treatment plant is a good idea. But it isn't that simple. When we have big storms, like the one heading our way as I write this, the extra volume of waste water can overwhelm the sewer system. To prevent flooding and sewage from backing up into people's homes, Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) release combined stormwater and raw sewage into the Sound.

Is a CSO near you discharging raw sewage? You can find out by checking this real-time map showing CSO status. The information is updated every few minutes. The time of the most recent data capture is shown at the top of the map. I've linked this to my area, SW Seattle. To check other locations, look for the options listed in the upper left hand corner of the page.

I took a walk last night at sunset and saw a man swimming in the Sound. I can't imagine that he will be out there again tonight, but he and anyone planning to swim, wade or fish in these waters might want to check the local CSO status first.

We Had Our Meeting With The City, Now What?

The public meeting my neighbors and I requested to express our concerns about the proposed Alki 11 rowhouse project was held last Wednesday, July 17. We had a good turnout - my guess is between 50 and 60 people. This was a SEPA meeting and we were directed to offer comments on environmental issues only.

Initially, 12 people signed up to speak, but as the meeting went on, a few more signed in and spoke. Close to 20 people had their say. Topics included those covered on this blog: lack of stormwater mitigation, more cars parked on the street, more congestion, inadequate infrastructure to handle all the waste and stormwater, the potential for flooding,  and contributing to sewage overflows into Puget Sound. Older residents who have lived here for many years, some whose family has had property here for generations, talked about how this project fails to consider the character of the neighborhood. Several people reviewed the developers SEPA checklist and pointed out inaccuracies and incomplete answers. Others lamented the loss of wildlife habitat, challenging the developer's statement that there is no wildlife present in this area. Lack of green space, and blocking light and air for neighboring properties was mentioned, as was the lack of transit options available here. Between the oral and written comments, I believe we explained the negative environmental impacts pretty thoroughly.

The meeting organizer and Department of Planning and Development (DPD) planner in charge of this project, Tami Garrett, said that she would be reviewing all of our comments, along with the reviews still to be completed by other planners, before writing her decision. She will accept written comments for about one more week. If you have anything you would like to submit, email it to her at tami.garrett@seattle.gov. Obviously, the sooner she gets comments the better.

She will write her decision, it will be reviewed by her supervisor, and then it will be published. She expects this to be done within the next two months. After the decision is published, the neighbors will have two weeks to appeal the decision if we aren't happy with it.

The mood as we left the meeting was subdued. We get it. There's not much the DPD can do for us. They don't make policy or write ordinances, their job is simply to enforce the rules. The rules are made by the city council, with input from the mayor.

Since the meeting, several neighbors have written to Richard Conlin, the city council member who chairs the Planning, Land Use and Sustainability Committee. He has agreed to look at how the zoning evolved that could allow this project to happen. But he says there's nothing he can do about this now. Here's a quote from one of his emails:

"I am trying to be really, really clear on the permitting process. The Council cannot legally take any action that will affect a permit that has been filed with DPD. There is no action that we can take that will affect or stop the project you are concerned about. Only DPD has the authority to do that. 

If, in reviewing the zoning, there is a case for changing it, that could apply to prospective projects in the future, but it cannot be applied retroactively."

So there you have it, the DPD punts to the City Council and the Council punts the issue back to the DPD. In the meantime, projects like the Alki rowhouses and other egregious developments are sprouting up all around us. At some point, city officials may see that mistakes were made and change the rules, but for now, these projects are going to get built. Once they're here, they're here to stay - for decades - along with the problems they spawn. There has to be a better way to manage growth and development in Seattle.

Related posts:

What Does SEPA Mean, Anyway?

The Environmental Impacts of the Alki 11 Rowhouses

What Does "SEPA" Mean, Anyway?

This question has come up often when neighbors have been discussing the Alki 11 review process. We were told that the project was under SEPA review; that the developer had filled out a SEPA checklist; that the meeting the city was granting us was called a SEPA meeting. But what the heck was SEPA?

Here is the definition, taken from the first paragraph of the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development's SEPA Checklist. Developers have to fill one of these out as part of the permitting process.

"The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), Chapter 43.21 RCW, requires all governmental agencies to consider the environmental impacts of a proposal before making decisions. An environmental impact statement (EIS) must be prepared for all proposals with probable significant adverse impacts on the quality of the environment. The purpose of this checklist is to provide information to help you and the agency identify impacts from your proposal (and to reduce or avoid impacts from your proposal, if it can be done) and to help the agency decide whether an EIS is required."

Prior to our public meeting last Wednesday, several neighbors reviewed the SEPA checklist the Alki 11 developer filed with the city. They found inaccuracies and incomplete responses which they have addressed in both written comments and in their oral comments at the meeting.

If a project in your neighborhood is under SEPA review, this is what it is all about. To access the developer's checklist for that project, follow the instructions here. Fill in the project's Master Use Project (MUP) number. When the records come up, scroll down to find the SEPA checklist.

Related posts:

How To Access Permit and Property Records for Seattle Development Projects

The Environmental Impacts of the Alki 11 Row Houses

Will the Alki 11 Row Houses Cause Flooding?

We Have A Meeting Date!

Meeting date: Wednesday, July 17. 2013

Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Location: 

Youngstown Performing Arts Center

Auditorium

4408 Delridge Way SW

Seattle, WA 98106

This meeting is facilitated by DPD for a land use application (3014675) that has an associated Type II MUP (Master Use Permit) component-SEPA (which refers to environmental issues).  DPD will provide a brief overview regarding the proposal; discuss the SEPA process and project milestones; and allow the public to submit verbal (limited to 2 minutes per speaker) and written comments. All comments should be directed towards the environmental aspects of the project. 

How the Proposed Alki 11 Fails to Meet City Parking Requirements

In an earlier post, I showed a map of the Alki Parking Overlay. Within this area, developers are required to provide 1.5 parking spaces for each dwelling unit. This supersedes other city-wide parking regulations which allow for fewer off-street parking spaces. The reason for this is that Alki Beach is a destination for the rest of Seattle, especially in the summer months. If you live here, you know that it is nearly impossible to find street parking, even when there aren't visitors. This special parking requirement is intended to provide more off street parking and reduce congestion.

The site of the proposed Alki 11 is located inside this parking overlay. So following this formula, 1.5 spaces for each dwelling unit, the developer of this project is required to provide 16.5 off street spaces. In the developer's SEPA statement he claims that there will be two parking spaces for each unit, for a total of 22. But is that even possible?

The standard size for a parking space is 9 feet wide and 18 feet long. "Compact" spaces are 8 feet wide and can work in open parking lots where there is more room to maneuver. They are too narrow for garages because drivers have to contend with garage doors and walls. And once they are inside the garage, there's not much room to open car doors or walk around vehicles. Developers often fudge on garage sizes in townhouse autocourts in order to cram more units onto the property, which is why people who live in those buildings park on the street. There's no reason to expect that this project will be any different.

The minimum size for a 2-car garage is 20 feet wide and 20 feet long. But it is difficult to park SUVs and pickups in garages that size, so builders and architects are now recommending that garages measure 24 feet wide and long.

Each rowhouse in the Alki 11 will have an attached garage, located under the unit. In order to accommodate 22 cars, there would have to be space for a two car garage at the base of each rowhouse.

However, only three of these units are wide enough for a minimum-sized 2-car garage.

The architectural plans filed with the city show the following dimensions for the various units:

The units in the triplex facing 55th Ave SW
20'4" wide - 28'6" long
Number of cars that can fit in each garage: 2
Total number of cars that can park in this building: 6

The units in the duplex facing 55th Ave SW
18'6" wide - 28'6" long
Number of cars that can fit in each garage: 1
Total number of cars that can park in this building: 2

The units in the 4-plex facing Wickstrom Place SW
17' wide - 28'2" long
Number of cars that can fit into each garage: 1
Total number of cars that can park in this building: 4

The units in the duplex facing Wickstrom Place SW
16' wide - 23'8" long
Number of cars that can fit into each garage: 1
Total number of cars that can park in this building: 2

Here's the math --- > 6 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 14 cars can park off street

This is in violation of the Seattle Municipal Code requirement of 16.5 spaces.

How Many Parking Spaces Are Developers Required to Provide in the Alki Neighborhood?

The short answer is this: For every dwelling unit within the Alki Area Parking Overlay (see map) developers are required to provide 1.5 parking spaces. 

For the long answer, follow the link below to Chapter 23.54 of the Seattle Municipal Code. When you get there, you will find a long document that explains parking requirements for buildings and institutions throughout the city. For specific mention of the Alki neighborhood, scroll down to Table B, "Parking for Residential Uses," then scroll down to item "O." 

Reference: Title 23 - LAND USE CODE

Subtitle III - Land Use Regulations
Division 2 - Authorized Uses and Development Standards 
Chapter 23.54 - QUANTITY AND DESIGN STANDARDS FOR ACCESS, OFF-STREET PARKING, AND SOLID WASTE STORAGE

Adversity Builds Community

A proposed "row house" project has mobilized my Alki Beach neighborhood in a way that few events, short of natural disaster, can. We knew for several months that development was planned for three lots on our street. The rumor was that it was going to be a townhouse complex. No one seemed upset by that. But when the land use sign went up and neighbors started looking at what was being proposed, the consensus was, "Whoa!"

Townhouses are one thing. Row houses are another. Townhouse developments are required to provide off street parking for their residents and include green space to mitigate environmental impacts. But row houses are not. Our little beach community has serious parking problems because it is a destination for Seattlites on sunny days. The runoff from this development will flow directly into Puget Sound, 1/2 block away. If this development is allowed to go forward as proposed, it will add to our existing parking and water pollution problems. It will block views for many neighbors, with 3-story buildings set just 5 feet from the sidewalk.

I could write a lengthy post about all that is wrong with this proposal. But for me, the most interesting thing about the situation has been how neighbors have come together to express their concerns and communicate them to the City.

It began with one neighbor photographing this sign and emailing it to others, alerting us to the fact that the comment period was pretty short. Several people wrote the city to request a two week extension and we were granted that. Then at least 6 people wrote to Seattle's Department of Planning and Development, expressing their concerns about various aspects of the project. Their comments (including mine) are part of the public record, which can be accessed at the DPD website.  Enter project number 3014675 and wait a minute for the records to come up. You'll find all documents pertinent to the project there.

After the comment period closed, we asked the city when we would get a public hearing to discuss this project. We were told that public hearings are not part of the process for these types of projects, but that the city planner might give us a hearing if we submitted a petition with at least 50 signatures. I remember saying to neighbors when we got the news, "I can easily see us getting 20, but 50?"

The great thing about this neighborhood is that we are a close community. We get along well, many of us have become friends over the years, and we do things together like summertime potlucks. Because I've been one of the potluck organizers, I have email addresses for many neighbors. So I sent an email to my list, explaining my concerns about the project and that we needed to get a petition circulated ASAP. Over the next couple of days, 10 people came forward to offer to gather signatures. We quickly got the required 50 (one neighbor collected 55 by himself!) and went on to collect 2-1/2 times that many before the deadline.

In the process, friends became closer and acquaintances became allies. We were drawn together in a way that made me appreciate this neighborhood more than ever.

Will we get our hearing? It's only been a few days since we submitted our petition and we haven't heard anything yet. But whatever happens, we are a better community for having had this experience.

Getting Rid of Black Ants with Listerine

Our neighborhood has been overrun with little black ants. These are what some people call "sugar" ants, even though they seem to like protein as much as anything. They're also called  "odorous" ants because of the odor they give off when you crush one of them. That name naturally morphs into the best name of all: "odious" ants. If you've ever had an ant problem, you know what I mean.

My neighbors and I have tried countless sprays, traps and gimmicks. The only product we've found that works with any consistency, and is relatively non-toxic to humans, is Terro liquid ant bait. When the ants come marching in, we put out the bait traps, and in a few days the ants are (mostly) gone. A few weeks later, though, they come back and we repeat the process all over again.

This system worked well for me until last fall, when I had the worst infestation ever. I put out the traps as usual, but this time the ants completely ignored them. There were billions of the damn things crawling up and over every surface of my kitchen.  Putting food away immediately, cleaning countertops, sealing up trash containers - nothing discouraged them. I was so frustrated I was ready to resort to using the most toxic spray I could find, and then I came on a bit of inspiration. I had been reading posts on the People's Pharmacy website about off-label uses for Listerine. People have reported good results using it to relieve shingles pain, get rid of dandruff and cure toenail fungus. I figured that if Listerine could kill a fungus, maybe it would kill ants, too.

So I bought a big jug of good old-fashioned amber Listerine and tried it. Crazy as it might sound, it worked. I put some in a spray bottle to zap the ones on the kitchen counter. (Seems like anything you can use as a mouthwash should be safe to use around food.) The Listerine kills the ants on contact. That was a step in the right direction, but every hundred I killed was replaced by two hundred more. It was time play amateur exterminator and go outside to figure out where they were coming from.

That's where I got the best results, pouring Listerine into ant hills, like the one you see above. I found hills in a few places along the foundation of the house and a huge one near our garbage and yard waste containers. I took a stick, made a little well in the top of each hill, and poured in some Listerine. Then watched and waited. Whenever I saw more dirt pushed up around the hill, usually within a day or two, I added more Listerine. If I saw more ants in the house, I made the rounds again, topping up each nest with more of the golden mouthwash. The more I did this, the fewer ants I found in the house. This took maybe a couple of gallons of Listerine, all told. After a while, there was just the occasional stray and then there were none.

I went for months without seeing a single ant. Then in just the past week, we had a weather change (which does seem to be a trigger for them to start marching) and suddenly there was a trail of little black ants crawling along my countertop again. I put out the Terro ant bait, which they went for this time, sprayed the Listerine, went outside and poured more Listerine into old ant hills, and within two days, no more ants.

From what I've read about these ants, they build deep nests and are adept at adding new colonies. I don't expect I will ever be ant-free. But thanks to Listerine, I think I'll have the upper hand.

Carrot Ginger Soup

I've been craving fresh ginger lately. And when that craving strikes, this soup hits the spot. Making it is SO easy, just combine ONE of everything, cook, blend and serve.

Ingredients:
ONE tablespoon butter
ONE onion, chopped
ONE tablespoon fresh grated ginger
ONE pound carrots, chopped (to save on prep time, buy a one pound bag of peeled, organic baby carrots and give them a rough chop)
ONE quart of liquid = 3 cups of chicken broth + 1 cup of either regular milk or, even better, coconut milk.

To make the soup:
Saute the onion in butter.
Add the carrots, ginger and chicken broth.
Simmer until the carrots are cooked through and soft, about 25 minutes.
Puree, using a blender, food processor or, my favorite, an immersion blender. (Use the immersion blender to puree the soup in the same pot you cook it in. Really cuts down on clean up.)
Add the milk or coconut milk. Stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually find that the broth provides enough salt to suit me.

Ginger is a warming herb, making this a welcome addition to the winter menu. Ginger is also good for digestion, relieves nausea and reduces pain and inflammation. Let your food be your medicine!

Related post:
Spaghetti Squash and the Blood Type Diet

Highlights from the SSCC Community Choir Holiday Concert

I love to sing, and for some time I've been searching for a choir that feels like a good fit for me. I believe I've finally found it. I started singing with the South Seattle Community College's Community Choir in the fall of 2012. We performed our "Mostly Messiah" holiday concert in early December. We sang 5 pieces from Handel's  "Messiah," along with a French carol, a Hanukah song, an a cappella gospel song and a lush, contemplative ballad.

I am neither a trained nor an accomplished singer. (Lucky for me, the Community Choir is a non-audition choir.) The Messiah pieces were the most difficult I've ever sung. It took a lot of practice and I had to google "breathing exercises for singers" to learn how to support those high notes and runs. But it was so worth it! The experience of singing that magnificent music was an absolute joy.

Below are links to a few highlights from the concert. I hope you enjoy listening to them. The man doing the sound for us was sitting with young children, so you will hear them "accompanying" us. Their little voices make for a more of a "live" experience and well, like I said, we are an inclusive, non-audition choir.

Many, many thanks to Paula Herd, our ever-patient Choir Director, and Edie Martin, our brilliant Pianist, for making this experience possible. 

Hallelujah Chorus- Messiah SSCC .MP3

Il est ne le Divin Enfant.MP3

Rise up-Fall 2012.MP3

Related posts:

Harmonizing with The Beaconettes

What Do The Lyrics To The "Alouette" Song Mean In English?

How To Hit A HIGH Note

Paddling to Squaxin Island

The beach at Alki yesterday was full of colorful Native American canoes as members of area tribes stopped on their way to their annual gathering which is being held this year at Squaxin Island in south Puget Sound.

Here is a map of the journey undertaken by the tribes participating this year. Some have come from as far away as northern British Columbia and have been underway for over a month. All expect to arrive at Squaxin Island in time for the potlatch that begins on July 29th.

To understand the significance of this journey, I read portions of the Canoe Journey Guidebook. The 10 Rules of the Canoe are valuable life lessons, even if you never undertake a journey like this one. This guidebook also includes historical information, the legends of the 7 inlets, a description of canoe culture and the canoe movement. There are lots of photos and stories that make this guidebook interesting reading.

I got to the beach yesterday after most of the canoes had arrived. I missed getting to hear tribal chants and songs, but the scene was colorful all the same. I'm learning to use my iPad to do videos and this was an opportunity to practice.





OK, enough of my amateur attempts. Here's a professional video of the landing at Alki during the 2011 Canoe Journey. It explains the event and its significance in tribal culture.

Eat Your Parritch

I've become a big fan of Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series of historical novel/time travel stories featuring Jamie and Claire Fraser. Their adventures begin in Jamie's native Scotland in the mid 1700s. Gabaldon describes, in some detail, what daily life was like in that time, including what people ate.
It appears that much of the Scottish diet at that time was made up of meat or fish. So when I first encountered a character in one of the books talking about "parritch," I thought he meant "partridge." As it happens, though, he was talking about porridge, or what we Americans call oatmeal.

OATMEAL - on the left, steel cut oats; regular rolled oats are on the right.

I don't know how oats were harvested and prepared for cooking in those days. But I do know that there weren't microwaves or or little packets of pre-sweetened cereal available back then. So when Jamie's sister, Jenny Murray, fixed breakfast for the family at Lallybroch, I imagine she made up a big pot of what we'd now call "steel cut oats." (Also known as Irish or Scottish oats.)

If you've never made this version of oatmeal at home, dinna fash yourself, as Jamie would say. It's very easy. And verra, verra tasty.

Before you go to bed at night, pour 4 cups of water into a medium-sized saucepan. Add a dash of sea salt. Bring to a boil. Add one cup of steel cut oats. Give them a quick stir.  Put a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Let stand overnight on the stove top.

When you get up the next morning, the oats will be cooked through. All you have to do is heat the oatmeal, dish it up in a bowl, pour on a wee bit of milk and you have breakfast. Some people like to sweeten their "parritch" with brown sugar or maple syrup. I prefer to add fruit - dried in the winter and fresh in the summer. A sprinkle of almonds or walnuts is verra nice. And ye'll ken that a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg would be lovely, too.

For more about food inspired by the Outlander stories, visit Theresa's clever blog, The Outlander Kitchen. She begins each post with a food-related excerpt from one of the books and follows it with a recipe. Examples include: "Fiona's Ginger-Nut Biscuits from Drums of Autumn," "Honey-Buttermilk Oat Bread at Madame Jeanne's from Voyager," and "Dougal's Poached Peach Sundae." Great storytelling and great food - what could be better, aye?

Can't get enough OUTLANDER? Visit my Outlander Plant Guide for a wee bit more information about the plants featured in the series.

Is It Possible To Get Over A Food Allergy?

If you asked me that question 10 years ago, or even 3 months ago, I would have said, "No." Emphatically.

I was diagnosed with an egg allergy nearly 20 years ago. Back then the antibody levels in my blood for both egg whites and yolks were off the charts. When I stopped eating eggs, the symptoms - buzzing in my head, difficulty swallowing, bloating, cramps, diarrhea, etc. - went away. Because the severity of the allergy developed gradually, I didn't realize how rotten I felt all the time. Until I didn't anymore. Sweet relief!

Since then, I've had to be diligent in order to maintain my health. As anyone with an allergy to common foods like wheat, eggs, dairy and soy can tell you, it is a challenge to avoid these things. There are traces of them in prepared foods everywhere you look. You learn to read labels, ask a lot of questions at restaurants and rely mostly on your own cooking to stay out of harm's way. But as far as I was concerned, that was all a small price to pay for feeling good. I was absolutely fine living my egg-free life.

So it came as a big surprise to me when, about a month ago, I started craving scrambled eggs! That's just crazy, I thought. That's self-destructive! I can't eat eggs - I haven't even wanted to eat an egg in years. But the craving wouldn't go away. So one day while I was shopping, I decided to buy a half dozen eggs. I figured I'd listen to my body and give them a try.

I knew that after two or three bites of scrambled egg, I would know where things stood. There have been enough slip-ups over the years that I am very familiar with how I react when I'm exposed to eggs. I fully expected to feel an electrical sensation in my head and that my throat would start to constrict. When that happened, I was going to stop eating. Simple as that. I'd feel a little sick, but not terribly so if I ate only a couple of bites. And then I would know whether this craving was simply crazy or whether, by some miracle, I can eat eggs now.

I scrambled my egg and started to eat. One bite, two bites - no problem. I kept eating. Still everything was normal. I finished the egg. I felt fine. I waited for a delayed reaction. It never came. In fact, I felt really good. And that egg tasted great! I wanted more, but decided not to push it. I waited a couple of days and had two eggs for breakfast. Again, no problem.

In fact, I've eaten close to two dozen eggs in the past three weeks without any sign of allergy!

I have no idea how this could have happened. The only thing different in my life lately is that I have been doing T-Tapp exercises for the past three months. It seemed to me to be a stretch to think there could be any correlation, until I read this post on the Chicago Eats Allergy-Free site. All I can say is that I am grateful for whatever it is that has healed my immune system.

Related Posts:

How Celebrating Valentine's Day Can Lead to a Shingles Attack

Take the Quiz and Get the Skinny on Cholesterol

The Pleasures of the Low Tide Days at Alki

For me, the low tide days of late spring and early summer are the most special days of the season. I avoid setting appointments or making commitments for the time when the tide is way, way out so I can walk the beach. After all, there are only a few days a year when this opportunity presents itself. It is as if a curtain is pulled back from the shore and we can wade out into sun-warmed tide pools to explore a world that is usually invisible.

Exploring tide pools during a -4 foot low tide at Alki Beach in June 2009.

These extra low tides coincide with the days around new and full moons. Last Saturday, for example, there was a full moon, so big and bright it was called a Super Moon. That morning in Seattle, we had a -2.1 low tide at around 11 a.m. The lowest low for this full moon phase was on Tuesday, a -3.4 tide at 12:20 p.m. Now that the moon is waning, the tides are not so low - today it was only -1.8.

There's an incredible array of marine life on display during these very low tides. Jellyfish, barnacles, sea stars and this "sun" star, above, are just a few of them. A recent post on the West Seattle Blog has images of a frosted nudibranch and a type of anemone, which you can view here.

The first time I saw a piece of a moon snail's egg casing, like this one above, I thought it was an old gasket someone had thrown into the Sound. The smooth, dense material looks like it was manufactured somewhere. Which in fact it was, right there, by the mother snail. If I am understanding the explanation furnished on Buzz's Marine Life of Puget Sound blog, which you can read here, the snail combines eggs and sand with some sort of glue and extrudes this collar. A sand collar can contain over 300,000 eggs.

If you want to enjoy the low tide experience, the next series of super low tides will coincide with the full moon on June 4. The lowest low in Seattle, a -3.8, will be on Tuesday around noon. To view the tide tables for Seattle, click here. Beach naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium are on hand at local beaches during low tides to answer questions and teach visitors about the marine life visible during these times. Check the Aquarium website for dates, times and more information.

Why Everyone Over the Age of 40 Should Have a Blood Pressure Monitor

Heart disease doesn't just come out of the blue. It is the result of day-to-day choices about diet, stress management and exercise. The decisions we make in our 30s become habits in our 40s, which set the stage for the health we have in our 60s and beyond. We all know what we should do. But how often do we put off exercise until we have more time; or eat on the run; or rely on alcohol or drugs to relax - always thinking that we'll have time to improve our habits later? Apparently, way too often. Heart disease is the leading health problem in the US.

But here's the good news. If you have a blood pressure monitor and use it often, you can get clear, immediate feedback about which of your habits are working for you and which ones are working against you. Taking your blood pressure can show you when your blood sugar is too low. It can also be an indicator that you aren't adequately hydrated. Monitoring your blood pressure will show you the effect exercise has on your body and how well stress reduction techniques work for you.

And here's more good news. Blood pressure monitors are inexpensive - you can get a good one for less than $60 US. Blood pressure monitoring is non-invasive. You don't have to wait for a doctor's appointment to find out if your pressure is high. And when you do see your doctor, the information you have about how your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day can be helpful in determining whether there is anything serious going on. Furthermore, seeing normal healthy readings on a regular basis will give you peace of mind. It will let you see how, as you change your habits, you move the needle on your health-o-meter in the right direction.

Now you may be thinking - what's the big deal? Your reading was normal at your last checkup or when you checked it at the drug store recently. It might surprise you to know that these once-in-a-blue-moon readings don't tell you that much about your health. They are merely a snapshot of a moment in time - not the full picture.

This is the blood pressure monitor I use regularly, the
Omron HEM-711. 

You see, unlike your temperature, which varies by less than 2 degrees over a 24-hour period, your blood pressure can swing 20 to 30 points either way several times over the course of a day. It might be a healthy 115/75 when you get up in the morning. But by lunchtime, if you skip breakfast, have a stressful morning and consume caffeinated beverages (coffee, soda, tea), your blood pressure reading may be up to an unhealthy 150/90. Then, if you eat a good lunch and take a 20 minute walk, your pressure might be down to 130/80. By late afternoon, you might be back up in the danger zone again, or not, depending on various factors: what you ate for lunch, your level of activity or how stressed you are.

There's really no reliable way to know what is going on with your blood pressure - except to check it on a regular basis. It also matters when you monitor it during the day, which I will explain later in this post.

First, let's talk about monitors. I bought mine, pictured above, a few years ago. I paid close to $100 for it, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Omron has updated this monitor - Amazon carries the newer version - which has more features, for an even better price - less than $60. I've been very happy with my little machine. I rarely get error messages and when I do, it's often because I'm wearing a bulky shirt of some kind. (It's better to take a reading by wrapping the cuff on a bare arm or over the sleeve of a garment made of very thin fabric.) The monitor also shows heart rate and the newer version will detect irregular heartbeats. There is a memory function that stores previous readings. By setting the date and time on the monitor, you can compare readings over time.

I've never used that function on my monitor. When I had an episode of high blood pressure a while back, I kept a notebook nearby and wrote down readings and made notes about what I was doing at the time. My naturopath used that information to show me how I could get my pressure back to normal without having to take medication.

When you are on Amazon, you will see that there are many blood pressure monitors available. One of the great things about Amazon is the number of customer reviews you can find for products. I suggest that you look at several of these to see what other people have to say. One monitor that gets very good reviews is a wrist unit, also made by Omron.

This monitor would be ideal for travel, taking to work, going to the gym.

OK, you have your monitor, now what? 

First of all, I suggest you keep a journal for a while to develop a sense of how your body responds when you do, or don't do, various activities during the day. Note your pressure readings before and after. Also note how you feel if the reading is high: spacey, lightheaded, fatigued, slight headache, irritable, clumsy, etc. This will help you learn to recognize the subtle symptoms that indicate that your blood pressure is beginning to creep up.

Normal blood pressure readings range from 100/60 to 140/90. Anything over 140/90 on a consistent basis is considered high blood pressure. The higher number is the systolic measurement which indicates the pressure exerted when the heart muscle contracts. The lower number is the diastolic reading which measures the pressure when the muscle is relaxed between beats.

Here are times during the day when it is useful to check your blood pressure. Be sure to wait 20 -30 minutes after eating, bathing, or exercising before taking your reading to assure accuracy.

1. When you get up in the morning and before bedtime.
It is useful to know how you begin and end your day. If your pressure is high first thing in the morning, stop reading this and go see your doctor.

2. Before and after eating.
There is a correlation between blood pressure and blood sugar. When your blood sugar drops below a certain level, your blood pressure will begin to rise. This was very useful information for me when I was learning to manage my blood pressure. I was in the habit of skipping meals, especially breakfast. Once I got into the habit of eating breakfast and not going more than three hours without eating at least a snack, my pressure started stabilizing. Eating a little protein with each meal and snack is important. It keeps blood sugar from spiking and then dropping quickly, which would send blood pressure right back up again. Now I always keep foods like string cheese, walnuts, yogurt and leftover chicken on hand for quick snacks. A piece of cheese and half an apple is often all I need to tide me over until the next full meal. (This is a good strategy for lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes, too.)

3. Before and after taking a shower.
Dehydration will cause blood pressure to go up. Many people have mild, chronic dehydration because they drink caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, soda) throughout the day and occasionally alcohol at night. All of these beverages have a diuretic effect. Plus, as we age, our thirst mechanism begins to fade - we don't feel thirsty, so we don't drink enough water. If there is a big difference in your readings before and after bathing, you might need to drink more water.

4. Before and after exercise.
How much difference does a 30 minute walk make? Well, could be quite a lot. When you see how regular physical activity, spread throughout your day, can keep your blood pressure in a good place, you may be inspired to stay with or add to your exercise program. Like eating a little bit of protein, even just 15 minutes of exercise has a residual calming effect that lasts.

5. After having a few drinks. 
Alcohol initially lowers blood pressure. But be aware that it has a rebound effect. After a few hours blood pressure will come back up, possibly higher than before, due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol.

6. When you are exposed to emotional triggers.
Something infuriating happens at work. Watching a political debate has you yelling at the TV. You have an argument with your teenager. How do these events affect your blood pressure at the time? How long before it comes back down? What can you do to minimize these stressors? It is good to explore this subject because things happen, and we all need strategies to handle them and maintain our health.

A very simple thing to try is this. When you can, sit alone quietly, and breathe deeply. Take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Do this 8 times and then check your blood pressure again. You will probably see a significant drop in the reading. This little exercise shows you that you have the ability to lower your stress level. What other techniques have you used in the past to deal with stress? Try them and see what effect they have on your blood pressure.

Summing up...
Improving your health doesn't have to be a huge project. Adding little things to your day - a few minutes of walking or stretching, a healthy snack, doing some deep breathing - will keep your blood pressure at a normal level, reduce the strain on your heart and lower your risk of heart disease or stroke. Monitoring your blood pressure will show you what is working and point the way to other beneficial changes you can make.