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Year Four, Day 224: Feliz Navidad, Decking them Halls and Counting the Days!

Time is marching on!  My son is sounding more positive and strong every time I talk to him. It is Day 10 of his incarceration. Many more days to go, but we are trying to just focus on the day at hand.

I do seem to like to count days don't I?  Well today is Day 3 of my plant focused eating.  Three days with nary a cheeseburger - high five to me!

I am still loving my lentil loaf and tofu. I took it to work today. I had a brilliant idea this morning. I have a wide mouthed thermos I got for soup, tea and coffee. It has kept liquid hot for up to 24 hours at a time! I found this out quite by accident, when I left my thermos of tea on the kitchen counter all day when I went to teach piano in Portland. Came back, and voila! Still hot!

I hesitate to take soup on the road though. I worry about spilling and mess.

But this morning, a light bulb went on over my head! I warmed a plate of brown rice, lentil loaf and tofu and then layered it in my thermos. I added a spoon of kimchi on top good probiotic measure.

On my break at 12:00,  I had a lovely plant focused lunch. It was still hot! And very yummy. Better than a cheeseburger!

Wait, did I say that out loud?

After teaching, my eating window was still open (it closes at 3:00 p.m. most days), so I went up to one of my favorite little Chinese restaurants. I like their lunch special. And their hot and sour soup is amazing!

I ordered Kung Pao Tofu with rice and hot and sour soup.  I was so happy to relax with my books. I was planning on going to see my grandson.  His other grandma is in the hospital, and I said I'd come out and help them. But his mama said she is fine and enjoying Mommy-Baby time.  So I have the evening off since my granddaughter is out of town. My end of term piano recital is tomorrow and I am a wee bit exhausted.

So plant based Chinese food, tea and books sounded like the ticket!

However it was  not so relaxing!

Here is what I posted on Facebook:
"I am not a violent person. But right now I feel like banging my head against a wall.
I am at lunch. They are playing the worst Christmas mix ever.
Imagine a synthesized oom-chuck-a-oom-chuck beat playing behind the following songs, in this order so far:
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
Silent Night
Blue Christmas
Deck the Halls
Feliz Navidad
O Holy Night
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Jingle Bell Rock and
Sleigh Ride!

All in the same key, same tempo and no pause in between!
Arrrrg!
P.S. Now that I'm outta there, I am laughing. (But I can still feel that beat..."Feliz Navidad!")



I needed a good laugh! I am really not a Grinch. I just have a hard time with the commercialism of Christmas as many do. And this year I am not feeling the "Ho-Ho-Ho" and Deck them Halls and all that.  I just want quiet.  And darkness.  But my son is making a positive situation out of where he is. So perhaps I should again take my own advice.

Just not in the form of canned Christmas music looping over and over with the same synthesized beat. 

Oh no! Now it's stuck in my head again!
"Feliz Navidad!

Talk to you tomorrow!
Love,

Zita




P.S. I got my hooping on today! Day 196! There I go counting days again!


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