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Changing our diet to save the planet

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We walked out of Walmart today with our groceries packed in paper bags, bags like the ones grocery stores used back in the day, no handles or ties. I'm old. I remember them well.  My son complained a little at the inconvenience, and I said, "Maybe they actually care more about saving the planet than they do about making your life more convenient in the short term." Good for Walmart, I thought, whatever their motives. And that led me to think, what would happen if businesses simply quit selling meat and started selling plant based foods? What if they did the right thing despite inconveniencing their customers?  I've been wondering this for a while. When Carl's Jr. came out with the Beyond burger, I was encouraged; all they had to do, in my opinion, is go vegan across the board. Who cares if customers don't like it as well as dead cows? Who cares if it helps save the planet?  Look, you don't have to like it as well as meat but you can...
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Michelle's mental health update

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Whew! What a crazy five years it's been, right? I've been going through an awakening of sorts, one that focuses on mental health and finding calm and peace in my life. I was sharing my journey on social media and then stopped sharing; I think I overshared...you have to be careful. But I didn't stop learning. I think it's time to recap what I've learned over all so far. There's a lot. If you want to start your own journey to a more peaceful existence, these are my suggestions:  Start with your diet. I take supplements including lots of magnesium, calcium and zinc as well as a daily women's vitamin. I eat food rich in those things, too. For my high BP I take beet gummies.  I am more than vegetarian, less than vegan (I still eat free range eggs and I like baked goods that might contain dairy ingredients), and I rarely eat fast food. Just cutting out meat resulted in my losing a lot of weight. Already I was healthier. And right there, I was feeling m...
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"You are", "you're", "your"..."ur"?

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You might think that someone like me, an educator with a degree in English, would be preaching correct grammar and spelling, holding onto traditional ways of expressing ourselves in the written word.  Lately I've been bitching about the misused apostrophe in the word "it's".  I'm not insisting, however, that we relearn it all and do things traditionally; I'm saying let's move with the times and make new rules that reflect change. Might be easier that way.  After all, once upon a time, contractions were not allowed to be used in academic writing. You could not smoosh two words together to make one, even though we did that when we spoke. That changed quickly. It was impractical not to.  We're looking at the same thing as we progress to an even more technical age. Ideas are more important than spelling. Conciseness is valued.  Most importantly, no one can spell anymore. I mean, why the hell do we continue to spell it "though", "enough"...
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Doggie play days

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Kahlua is about six years old now. I love her -- she's the smartest dog I've ever known, and she loves her doggie life. But she didn't always have it so good. For the first year or so of her life, she lived in the abandoned mobile home on the property next to mine. Her owners asked my son to take care of her when they abruptly moved out a few years ago. Danny would go to the mobile home each day and feed her and let her run around outside.  Honestly, the dog irritated the hell out of me but still, I couldn't stand watching it happen. I told Danny to bring her over. Even though she quite gleefully killed my chickens in a matter of days, I knew quickly that she was a soulmate. She's been with me since, reminding me every day just how beautiful life is. Because she greets every day with doggie gratitude and celebrates it in her Kahlua way...open hearted... positive...funny.  She is the inspiration for my doggie play yard. I want to help other less fortunate...
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