My Gardener

I look back and remember my grandmother fondly. She grew up in an era which many of us could have never imagined. A time wars were newspaper headlines, Green Stamps were used to buy things, rationing was required, bread lines existed, fallout shelters were common, and instead of wearing nylons she had to use a black liner to draw a seam. When I was growing up, I remember that she loved to watch baseball, read Garfield comic strips everyday before work, and lived to feed the squirrels.

I spent most of my life with her, as a child, because my Mom was very sick, and my Dad was always working. My parents faced many struggles when I was growing up, and it was ultimately my grandmother who prepared me for my life’s journey. I remember my grandmother’s house on Clinton Way in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her house was yellow, with a large yard in a corner lot; it was well within walking distance of all the stores and bus lines. My grandmother never drove and was always very busy.

I spent most of my time with my Grandmother, or, “ Gram” as I called her and we had many great times talking, both at home, and on the bus. I remember that in the summer, life for both of us was centered around the bakery, the garden, and baseball. As I grew up, I learned to see that you often do not learn to appreciate things, as a child, until the time comes. I have found that you learn with age and time. It seems that wisdom comes with age, and that reflections come with time. Now as I look back at all that she accomplished in a day, I often wonder how she found time to tend a garden.

I now have very fond remembrances of gardening with my grandmother. I remember that we would always first turn. Breaking it up and removing the rocks, and other objects that would prevent growth, the things that would choke out life out of the seeds which were to be planted. Eventually, we invested in a Roto-tiller, but until we did, I remember how back breaking the process was.

Next came the watering of the soil to prepare it for the sowing of the seeds. The sowing was one of the parts of gardening that I liked. Gram would teach me to count out the seeds to put in the ground. Carrot seeds were placed in a row; pumpkins got about 4 seeds per hill created, squash the same, beans two or three, and so on.“Not too many,” she would say, “It will be too much.” She would then add “Not too little, because sometimes you need to plant a few seeds for at least one to sprout.”At that moment I did not understand.

As things would grow, I would watch for that first sign of life to show. I think my favorites were the Zucchini and Squash, until it would come harvest time, and Squash and Zucchini were in everything we ate. She had learned during the Depression how to optimize everything, to use everything that was given to us. I loved it when we made bread and cookies, yet hated the selection of vegetables for dinner, every day, after about a week. I loved watching the Pumpkins grow.

When growing Pumpkins, you see no visible signs of the plant for a very long time, then, all of a sudden, one day; it pops up as if to say, “Hello!” I think that I was most excited when I got to plant my own row of the garden, until it came time to do the weeding, of course. My Gram had this to say: “If you let the weeds go, they become too much and you give up.” I would have to weed the garden in the summer, near dusk. We usually did most of the gardening in the morning or evening. Pike’s Peak was often the backdrop of our canvas. Being so high up in the mountains, working in the middle of the day with the heat in Colorado Springs is not a good idea.

We composted, as well, so that we could recycle, and make the garden grow better and healthier. We planted Marigolds to keep away certain bugs that would threaten the crops. Little tricks like that helped to make sure the garden would and could thrive. Even after the plants were gone, they went into the composting with coffee grounds, egg shells, and other recyclable matter. My grandmother grew a lot of things: flowers, vegetables, Tomatoes, and berries. She taught me how to tend to each one.

We also had a Blackberry bush. I remember sneaking my fair share of Blackberries, because they tasted so good, and my Gram always knowing because my hands would be torn up from the blackberry bushes. I had such a love/hate relationship with the gardening. I hated it, but learned to love it over time. As a child, I suppose that sometimes I thought of it as a punishment.

As I grew older, the skills of my grandmother, and the time she took to teach me, helped along the way. My gardens, no matter how far I was from her, came out beautifully. I took her words of advice on how to grow amazing corn that people asked me how I did it, more squash than I care to admit, and beautiful roses that I could not believe came from my labors. I think the best times were when I could include my children in the gardening. We had so many things that we shared. My son found a salamander in the compost pile. we nicknamed it, “Sally”, and kept it as a pet. My daughter helped me plant the roses with the composting that we had. We ate the vegetables that we grew in the garden and they always tasted so good. My children and I got our hands dirty together, and we grew together.

As my children have grown, life has gotten busier. I miss those days, my grandmother’s time, and the children. So much happens as we grow, and we forget about the days that mean so much. I now realize today that maybe as my grandmother taught me gardening, she was perhaps sowing and planting one of the largest gardens she would ever harvest.

I am sure that as you have read this you may have realized my life was not so easy. No one’s life is, as there is truth in the saying, you may have it bad, but there is always worse. This is true, so very true. Each person’s story is their own divine comedy; we are in charge of how it comes out: either a tragedy, or a comedy, or a love story, but always a drama. My grandmother saw something in me and began to tend to me, almost like tilling the rough terrain of the soil. Sometimes the hardest soil will grow something, but you have to take care of it first.Then she planted seeds in me. Slowly, making sure not too much, but just enough to allow me my freedom. She guided, watered, and tended the person I am now. She planted the seeds of love, hope, dreams, reality, perseverance, honor, and most of all, faith.

This woman showed me the greatest faith I ever saw in anyone, just like the faith that she placed in those seeds in the ground in the springtime, knowing that in the fall there would be a harvest.

She placed her work abilities and her strength in my mind and in my hands. She planted seeds that were passed down through the generations, to my children as values and traditions. Many things are shared when you grow a garden, if you have ever made one, you will know. The feeling of the soil in your hands gives you life, in a sense; it is the hard work that produces a good harvest. You never know if it is going to grow; you just do the work, and you wait and see.

My reflections of my Gram poured out at her funeral. I had the privilege of reading her eulogy, and for me, it was the most important thing I would ever write in my life. Why? Because I was her garden, I was what she tended, and had hoped to see me become what I could be. I never really got to say goodbye to my Gram and she never truly got to see her harvest come to fruition. So, what I wrote was important, because, somehow, I needed to thank her in my own way for taking time to tend to her garden. Now I will say that I am not yet fully at harvest, but at least I know that age does create wisdom. I know that the seeds she planted will bloom when the right time comes.

I am not so sure that you ever say goodbye, but rather that you carry forth the harvest that is planted within you.

What price is worth paying for energy?

With the growing concerns of people and the energy-draining daily grind in which we exist, what price are you really willing to pay? People have found that there are new drinks on the market that are effective in giving them the energy they seek. Many of these drinks are sold on a daily basis and the creators have landed on a huge money pile in what they hold in these little cans.
Research on a larger scale than before is showing that these drinks are dangerous and potentially deadly. There are even countries that have banned the sale of these energy drinks. As far back as 2004, these drinks have been discussed. There are no warning labels to allow drinkers to know of the damages that could possibly happen when mixed with medications or alcohol.

Usually this information is not well advertised; often it has to be sought out or heard second hand. The largest market that is shown to be buying this product are younger people anywhere from 9 years old to college age.

What makes it worse is that there is no FDA regulation upon these drinks, thus they are sold legally to anyone who can pay the price. There is even proof that these drinks can intermix negatively with acne medications. There have been numerous reports of warnings against mixing the drinks with alcohol. There are, however, many other worries as well, such as the fact that the drinks are stimulants, and anyone with heart troubles may simply be playing Russian roulette, without realizing that they are doing so. Also, lack of sleep, withdrawal symptoms, and dehydration are concerns with these drinking.

After the discovery of how toxic Ephedra is, it was banned from the U.S. market. New energy drinks include Ma huang, Glucuronolactone, and guarana. These substances are known to be detrimental to athletes, yet they are still the drink of choice for many. The FDA is not required to regulate these drinks or label them, even though the side effects range from severe migraines, to brain tumors, even death.

To top it off, major beer companies are now selling this liquid speed in a can pre-mixed with the alcohol. No one knows how it will affect them, or if that will be the last drink they ever have.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4694227.stm, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1437154.stm, http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/puma/nov04/energy.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1460995.stm,http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p2376.htm, http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/atod/energy drinks.htm
http://health.limboland.net/html/energy_drink.html, http://www.wral.com/health/1591403/detail.html, hhttp://www.realitycheck.org.au/webboard/messages/2935.htm
http://www.new-nutrition.com/newspage/130701b.htm

If you are keeping up with the story of Michael Vick, you already know he voluntarily turned himself in to the Federal Marshals in Richmond, Virgina on November 19, 2007, almost three weeks before his sentencing. This, of course, hit the news with great gusto. However, there is a great deal more to this story, as there always is.

During October and November many things happened; anyone following the case may already be fully aware of the facts or maybe not. Not only facing one count of interstate travel to aid illegal gambling and dogfighting, a charge that can carry up to five years in prison, his defense council is pushing for 12 to 18 months. However, Vick is looking at being charged with two state felonies on April 2, 2008 as well: beating, killing or causing dogs to fight each other and promoting dogfighting. He faces up to five years for each felony.

As of right now, Vick is currently a guest of Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw until sentencing. This facility currently houses about 450 inmates. Neither Vick nor his co-defendant, Quanis Phillips appeared at his November 27th court hearing because they are already in custody and did not have to show up. The other two defendants, Anthony Taylor and Purnell Peace did not attend the hearing either, as they were not required to be there.

According to Mr. Vick's lawyer, Billy Martin, this is Vick's repentance for his involvement in this mistake he openly admits to making and is part of accepting his responsibility for his actions. Vick has not violated any conditions of his bond according to papers filed in the U.S. District Court. As for the April 2nd jury trial on state dogfighting charges, it is not being said what Vick and his defense attorneys are doing; they have not decided as of yet. It was only a five minute consultation with Vick's defense attorneys; Lawrence Woodward, Billy Martin, and the prosecutor Gerald Poindexter. A trial date has also been set for Quanis L. Phillips and Purnell A. Peace on March 5th and Tony Taylor for May 7th.

This case has taken on a life of its own, it seems, with many twists and turns of history intertwining unintentionally. On October 25th it was reported that the prosecutor, Gerald Poindexter, a part-time prosecutor in rural Surry County, represented Vick's father in a civil case four years prior to reinstate Michael Boddie's driving privileges due to a DUI and suspension. Poindexter has told Woodward, one of Vick's defense attorneys that this would not be an issue in this case. It should be noted that Vick paid for Poindexter's services in this civil case. Not only did Poindexter defend Vick's father, but it also seems that he dropped the ball so to say on another dogfighting case against Benjamin Butts; the case was dismissed due to an illegal search. To remove Poindexter it would require an appointment of a special prosecutor from another jurisdiction.

One twist in this case is that another man has come forward and faces the same charges as Vick; his name is Oscar Allen, also known as "Virginia O". In 2001, Allan sold "Jane" to Vick. He became a champion for Bad Newz Kennels, advised about pit bulls, hosted fights in 2002 at Vick's Surry property, traveled with Vick and others to fights, and was there in April when dogs were tested to see if they were good fighters. What could this mean for Vick? It is hard to tell at this point. His sentencing is in January.

Hard to believe that all this Bad Newz started because of Vick's cousin, who was arrested in Hampton on drug charges, after which they went to the house to search for drugs. Upon this search they found four dozen pit bulls and the remains of other dogs, also evidence of dogfighting.

Though Poindexter and Surry County had a search warrant on Vick and his home since late May of 2007, the funny thing is the warrant was never executed because Poindexter said he had issues with the way it was worded. The warrant also expired Thursday, June 7th, at which time Poindexter and Surry County officials were preparing to have an effective search warrant, but the Federal Government presented a sealed search warrant executed that same day. Just to let you all know, it was well known since 2000 that Vick was involved in dogfighting. Even his father stated that Vick fought dogs.

As if these turns were not enough, it has now been shared that the judge, Judge Hudson, who will preside over this case loves dogs and hates gambling. He initiated a massive investigation of a bingo operation when he was a prosecutor; also during this time, he imprisoned a man for a murder he did not commit. Hudson has recently published a 325-page memoir of his approach to law enforcement on gambling, drugs, and dogs. Hudson takes a hard-line and this approach has carried him from deputy sheriff and court bailiff while he was at night law school. He was elected two terms as the Commonwealth Attorney of Arlington County, which lead him to being appointed to U.S. Attorney for a large part of Virginia, finally setting him on the bench. He has been the chairman of a pornography study commission appointed by President Regan's attorney general, Edwin Meese, and the U.S. Marshals Service director. His history is long and hard of how he runs his court and the podium on which he stands.

Also concerning the April 2nd trial, this could place Vick in double jeopardy, if pressed hard enough. However, since the 1920s, the U.S. Supreme Court states that federal and state courts cover two different areas, thus one can be placed in double jeopardy and it will not be seen as such. It may not be widely known, but Vick was threatened with RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970) charges; perhaps this is why he took a deal. Under the RICO law, many big time crime associates have been brought down; some that you may remember would be John Gotti and Michael Milken. And the RICO is often used by prosecutors to win cases, considering this law allows the Federal Government to circumvent the constitutional separations of powers between the state and federal laws, and is often seen as the defendant must prove himself innocent from the get go. Also with the RICO, the prosecutor is not required to have the high standard of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, only the civil standard of preponderance of the evidence. Since the RICO is aimed at "organized crime" the act is very vague on its rules and regulations. It also carries a fairly hefty sentencing term, 20 years or more; all of his assets would be frozen, and his case would surely ruin him more than it already has.

Another interesting development in this case, when you look into it, is a new federal law enacted by the U.S. Congress earlier in 2007, signed by President Bush on May 3rd, making organized dog fighting a felony, and this Act is called the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. This allows a penalty of up to three years of jail time and $250,000 for each offense of interstate or foreign transport of animals for fighting purposes. This law is now fully in act, but was not passed until after Vick was caught.

Upon further investigation of this case, one of the questions that comes to mind is not whether or not Vick did the wrong thing, but are the feds and the state now doing the same to him?

In this case, Vick's dogs also got their own court-appointed guardian, Rebecca J. Huss. Huss has been a professor at Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana since 1999. She was appointed by Chuck Rosenberg because she is considered "a leading expert in animal law in the United States". Out of the 48 dogs that remained, 12 of them were being held at the Surry County animal shelter and are up for adoption as of November 14th.The new owners will not know if they were a part of Vick's home, and these dogs were not bred or trained for fighting. If the new owners ask, after the adoption process has begun, they will be told. Amongst the 12 dogs, there are 9 beagles, 2 Rottweilers, and a dog believed to be a Cane Corso. Most of the animals still remain in federal custody and are waiting for placement in shelters. Upon reaching the animal shelter, some of the dogs had been adopted and the others are still waiting for homes but are doing well.

It is reported that Vick did do a basic PETA empathy training, "Developing Empathy for Animals" for his wrong doings. This is a one-day course with a follow up course exam. On November 20th, Vick agreed to pay the fees of the restitution and care of these dogs, a sum of approximately $928,073.04. This covers all expenses associated with the care and maintenance of the pit bull dogs. This will be placed in an escrow account on November 30th.

The home of Vick, his cousin, and the dogs that lived there was sold on November 16, 2007. It is tentatively scheduled to be auctioned off on December 15th. The house was bought by Wilbur Ray Todd Jr., of Todd Builders in Carrollton for an undisclosed amount that was less than the assessed value of $747,000. Todd is going to fix up the 4,300-square-foot, two-story brick building that will be shown on December 8th and 9th from noon to 4 p.m. to the public. The notoriety of this case should bring quite a crowd; the auction will determine the price at which it is sold.

As if this were not enough for Mr. Vick, his girlfriend has left him, he fired one of his lawyers, and he spent his holiday as a guest with bars separating him from his freedom.

http://www.wsbtv.com/download/2007/1127/14707807.pdf

The twisted world of Michael Vick...

The National Football League lost a talented player this year. Michael Vick is the man behind name that has taken the sports news world by storm, but not in the same way he did back in 2001.

Now Vick’s road to freedom will give him bars to sit behind, to think about all that he has lost along the way.

Those who have followed Vick’s career know that his history is the stuff that dreams are made of. Vick grew up in an underprivileged setting and moved forward to capture his dreams. From the age of three, his father saw greatness in him, nicknaming him ‘The Bullet’ for his speed. As he grew older, the nickname ‘Ookie’ stuck with him. Through humble beginnings, he played for the Boys and Girls Club and got noticed by coaches when he threw three touchdown passes in a single game at the age of seven.

Through everything that he endured, he still moved up to the ranks of the NFL. His history is outstanding in all that he earned during his football career. Even before high school, Vick showed promise in three sports: baseball, basketball, and football. Because he was a disciplinary problem during adolescence, his mother got him involved in after school activities. As Vick grew older, high school was just the beginning of his amazing career. As a matter of fact, football is the only thing mentioned about Michael Vick's high school years, which show some of his most memorable written history.

Vick was a three year starter at Warwick High under the guidance of Coach Tommy Reamon. He was listed as the nationwide number 5 quarterback prospect by both Super Prep and PrepStar. The National Recruiting Advisor gave him post-season A-A honors. There he was ranked Number 5 for a pass/run quarterback. He had many other honors as well, including being selected as the number 3 prospect

The National Football League lost a talented player this year. Michael Vick is the man that has taken the sports world by storm. Just not in the same way he did back in 2001.

His history is outstanding. Now Vick’s road to freedom will give him bars to sit behind. To think about all that he has lost along the way.

To those who have followed Vick’s career, you know that his history is the stuff that dreams are made of. And through everything that he endured, he still moved up to the ranks of the NFL. Vick grew up in an underprivileged setting and moved forward to capture his dreams. From the age of three, his father saw greatness in him, nicknaming him ‘The Bullet’ for his speed. Vick was a disciplinary problem during adolescence as well. Early, Vick's mother got him involved in after school activities. Vick showed promise in three sports: baseball, basketball, and football. As he grew older, the nickname‘Ookie’ stuck with him. Through humble beginnings, Vick played for the Boys and Girls Club and got noticed by coaches when he threw three touchdown passes in a single game at the age of seven. As Vick grew older, high school was just the beginning of his amazing career.

As a matter of fact, football is the only thing mentioned about Michael Vick's high school years, which show some of his most memorable written history. Vick was a three year starter at Warwick High under the guidance of Coach Tommy Reamon. He was listed as the nationwide number 5 quarterback prospect by both Super Prep and PrepStar. The National Recruiting Advisor gave him post-season A-A honors. There he also was ranked Number 5 for a pass/run quarterback. To top that, he was also ranked as in Virginia by the Roanoke Times. After an
outstanding high school career, he attended Virginia Tech until he was a sophomore, then proceeded to the NFL.

At Virginia Tech, Vick was a redshirt freshman. Just as in high school, he began to shine on the football field, even being featured on the cover of an ESPN "The Magazine". He lead the NCAA in Passing Efficiency, hitting the third highest all-time mark and was awarded an ESPY Award for being the nation’s top college player. Numerous other awards led him to the NFL Draft as a first overall pick.

His real troubles began when he was drafted. Starting in 2001, his criminal history became almost as big as his professional career. Starting the ‘Bad Newz Kennels’ was his biggest mistake. Perhaps the name should have been a clue as to where this business was going to go.
There are also a few other crimes that have gone unspoken. Before the news broke of his practices of gambling, housing, training, and eventually destroying dogs, Michael Vick had other potentially damaging problems.

In 2004, there were two men arrested for distributing marijuana with Michael Vick’s truck. The incident allowed Dan Reeve to lecture him about being a reflection of the team. It was also reported the same year that a watch had been taken from Alvin Spencer during a security check at the Hartsfield

Sentencing for some of the charges is to be held on December 10th, for everyone keeping close tabs on this "dog day" story.

As if things could not get worse, Mr. Vick is also being sued by three banks for monies owed on outstanding loans, and the Falcons are asking for their $22 million back.

One last drop in the bucket for Vick: he is being sued again, this time by an inmate in South Carolina for a dog that was used for breading, but never returned. To top it off, in September of 2007, during the investigation of Roy ‘Bud’ Melton, police found evidence linked to dogs which belonged to Vick when he owned the Bad Newz Kennels. For those who do not know who Roy 'Bud" Melton is, he ran a dog fighting ring in North Carolina and has been associated with Michael Vick and the dogs Vick owned. So as you see, things could get much worse for Mr. Vick, depending on the outcome of the investigation into Roy Melton’s death in April of this year.

Michael Vick has put his house up for sale to pay back some of his debts. It is too bad that his debt to humanity is non-transferable.

Wow, and you thought you had dog day afternoons…

My Weight Victory

I often joke that I have lost well over 450 pounds, and people look at me in shock.
I say, “Yeah, over 150 pounds was me, the rest was the ex.”

It wasn’t until I lost more than 200 pounds that I realized, in my excitement, that I had lost a whole person. Now mind you, this did not happen overnight. A lot of weight had built up over time since I was 16. Sixteen was when I became officially overweight. My mom used to tell me I was just big boned, not to worry about it, that I was beautiful inside. You know, the usual. To me, I was an overweight teenager and an out-of-shape cheerleader. I was, and still am, very aware of every flaw on my body.

My story is not unique. Both my parents were overweight and self conscious about it. My mother even went so far as to have bypass surgery and, in the end, such drastic measures to lose weight took her life. My father was an ex-Marine, so physical fitness had been a big deal in his life at one time. I would look at my mom and be so embarrassed, swearing I would never be like her. About 12 years later, I looked in the mirror and saw my mother looking back at me.
I avoided being in photos. I don’t even have pictures of the old me to show how my body has changed. Over the years, I had seen the weight piling on, but was powerless do anything about it. Steak and potatoes were the normal fare in our house. When I did try to introduce healthy foods, I was usually the only one to eat them. Luckily, as my children grew, I found that they loved fruits and some vegetables. It was not until after my husband and I separated that I took a hard look at my life, myself, and what I had become.

I will be honest. The weight came off in stages. I would hit a plateau when suddenly pounds fell off, but then the weight loss would stop. At one point, I changed my diet. I found that I was leaving food on the plate because I was full. I made sure I had soup once a day and I tried to walk as much as I could.

At the time of my divorce, I weighed around 325 pounds and I was a size 28. I was a big girl. I was also a miserable woman. I had eaten years of my life away because I could not express my thoughts and feelings. Sometimes this was due to my own inability to communicate and sometimes this was due to the circumstances in my life. I had to come to terms with the fact that I had eaten to cope with my depression instead of searching for the freedom to speak.
I have always been a spiritual person and I finally realized that I had to find peace within myself if I was going to control my body’s responses to food. I actually learned to listen to my body, to eat when I was hungry and to eat what I wanted. I was never on a diet per se. I simply changed how I lived and how I thought. I believe the biggest change was how I thought about myself and how I looked at life.

I had been extremely hard on myself in high school. I was and still am an over achiever. Now I understand that some people simply cannot lose the weight. My mother was one of them. Although her medical condition prevented her from losing weight, she still could have made healthier food choices. A person can always make healthier choices. I have chosen to be healthy because I have two children I want be around for. I want to be here and be healthy when my kids graduate.

I don’t believe in being too thin, either. I believe in being healthy. I know that eating all foods in moderation may not make a person thin, but will make a person healthy in the mind and in the body. I discovered that my weight loss had to begin in my mind. I had to lose the self-hatred and the self prophesying obstacles I had set up to ensure failure. Now I have no excuses.
I recently moved to New York. Believe me, Manhattan does a body good! I eat all the time and I am still losing weight. I love the city and the city seems to love me. I am where I belong. When my soul and my mind are happy, the body follows suit.

The last time I slipped into a new size, tears fell because I was wearing a size I had never expected to see on me. I had never even been this size in high school. I remembered when my ex-husband told me to get rid of a pair of size 12 shorts that I had kept since high school because I would never fit into them again. He was right. I never will fit into those shorts again. I am now a size 6-8. I still look at the larger sizes, though, and I still gripe about my inner thighs and love handles or my belly. Then I remember that the underwear now covers my little goddess belly and nothing spills out.

This journey has been spiritual and emotional, as well as physical. Without the balance, I don’t think I could have achieved this transformation. I still have areas to work on, to be sure, but I have managed to come this far. I wanted to share my story so you know you can, too. It is all about being healthy, not about fat or thin, not about finding the diet that might work. The body has its own diet. It is about knowing that inside you are beautiful and sometimes it just takes the body awhile to catch up.