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mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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Wild Garlic Grill in Tucson

August 25, 2014 — 5 Comments

We dined at the Wild Garlic Grill for the second time yesterday and vowed to go more frequently because it suits us perfectly.  The first time we ate there was on Easter when we were looking for something new and different.  Both times we have ordered from the daily special menu and have been mighty impressed with the cuisine.  The chef is skilled in creating contrasts with flavor, temperature, and surprise ingredients.  We remembered the cocktails because they are inventive and made with fresh ingredients.  Bob likes beer so he enjoyed a nut brown ale from a local brewery while I tried the fuzzy tini, a peach martini cocktail.

There is a vegetarian special all the time which revolves around sessional ingredients, so mine were very different from each other since the seasons had changed.  I think mine was the best bargain because it was so plentiful it came home and became a beautiful pasta salad to eat today.  Bob enjoyed his fish dish very much, reporting that  it was fresh and perfectly prepared.  We both had really cute yucca strips as garnish on top of our entrees.  Our portobello mushroom appetizer course filled us significantly because it was accompanied by warm french bread and a sauce that made us want to lick the plate.  It was made with mostly red peppers, I think.  When we asked for more bread the very accommodating server brought extra sauce as well.  Service was very well executed, which we remembered from our fist time.  You feel that your server is paying close attention to timing and making sure your needs are met without being intrusive.  In fact the whole operation suits us because attention is placed on high quality and good service instead of high overhead for the facility.  The bar is cozy and the kitchen open for viewing.  We like the local art work that includes portraits of stars of the horror genre.  The Wild Garlic Grill is a comfortable and delicious place to spend a happy hour, a brunch, or a dinner.  We will return often since it is close to home, and recommend it to anyone looking for a special individual dining experience.

Reflexology Rules

August 23, 2014 — 1 Comment

Reflexology is a powerful healing modality for the entire body. I recently made my feet very sore and wanted to recover as quickly as possible. I booked some sessions with Carol Crockett, who is an excellent therapist I had visited in the past.  My overall health as well as my aching feet benefit greatly from the treatments.  She provides an eye pillow and follows your lead about talking or observing silence.  I can be in the mood for either one because Carol also knows a lot about health and makes a very congenial conversationalist.  She worked as a hospital nurse before she took her training to work in reflexology.  This is really important in her work with cancer patients at the U of A Supportive Care for Healing department at the Cancer Center.  Since this treatment can be done without the luxury of the massage table she often goes upstairs to the chemo unit to give sessions for the patients who need her help.  She works at the hospital one day a week, but she also offers cancer patients a discount on services at her private practice, Footbliss Reflexology.

Carol has a great intuitive sense of healing and makes her client feel very comfortable by explaining what she is up to during the session.  Most people don’t want a play by play of their relaxing treatment, but if you have any questions she is very knowledgeable and expressive.  I sometimes discuss general health topics with her and am impressed with the depth and breadth of skill of her knowledge.  She is a champion of non invasive modalities for healing and enhancing health, but is, by no means, interested in doing any preaching or converting.  If you have never received any kind of body work or touch healing therapy I think starting with reflexology is a perfect way to get to know how to enjoy and benefit from professional massage therapy.   You remain clothed and it is very pleasant during the entire process.  Carol uses essential oils to enhance the whole experience.  For those of us with advanced tastes in body work she can offer facial reflexology as well as Tenzo, a combination of shiatsu style movements combined with reflexology which is also performed with the client fully clothed.   She sometimes substitute teaches the yoga classes at the hospital, and offers private instruction in yoga in her private practice.  If you are interested in improving your health and adding some pure bliss to your life I encourage you to try reflexology.  If you live in Tucson I highly recommend Carol’s variety of healing services.  She is talented and professional.

Knowing Neighbors is Good for Your Health

August 21, 2014 — 3 Comments

Our community in midtown Tucson started using the Nextdoor app six months ago.   We now have 7% of our households in the area enrolled and communicating. This is a real change for us since few of the residents knew many other people in the vicinity. We still have more recruitment to do, but it is pretty easy and natural to grow the membership once the site gets started.  This startup from San Francisco was started in 2010 by techies to meet a need that seemed obvious to them.  Social media has made it possible to be in touch with folks around the world, but statistics showed that local communication was grinding to a halt.  A third of Canadians and half of Americans did not know the name of a single neighbor.  If you live here this should not shock you. Close knit communities are a distant memory for America.  Gangs, vandalism, and drug related crime have a chance to thrive when nobody knows each other.  Tagging and theft become a regular part of life when the entire population is isolated from each other.  Nobody wins.

Nextdoor is a private way for neighbors to connect and start to improve social fabric of a place.  Crime and safety is one of the topics frequently discussed.  Like our counterparts across the nation I think it has been shocking to start to learn about how much crime is going on constantly all around us.  Eventually, when we have more membership, I am sure it will become more difficult to commit crime without being busted by neighbors with cameras.  We all look forward to that day since our cops are neither responsive nor communicative.  People do complain about lack of law enforcement, but that will have no effect on the situation.  Some angry citizens feel that owning many guns will protect them and their property, but I think this is a fallacy.  One of the most common items stolen in break-ins is a gun.  Heavily armed communities are not safer than those with a healthy respect for private property and a strong social fabric.  They may be more dangerous and are probably depressed about what they perceive as a need to be heavily armed at home.

Here are a few good reasons to start using Nextdoor in your neighborhood:

  • You meet interesting people
  • You find out there is crime going on around you all the time to which you were oblivious
  • You have a chance to form special interest groups such as garden, pet lovers, or book clubs
  • You have a place to ask for recommendations when you need work done
  • You have a place to ask for help finding a lost pet
  • You can advertise your yard sales and services to a very local audience
  • You can organize events and parties for social fun in your vicinity

I hope you will join us in creating safer more appealing neighborhoods through communication. Use this link to go directly to the Nextdoor site for more information and to join.

 

Carnivorous Plants

August 15, 2014 — 6 Comments

While the butterfly exhibit is on hold for the summer the Tucson Botanical Gardens has a small but impressive display of flesh eating plants in the tropical greenhouse. It is easier to handle since the USDA does not require full time guards as they do on the butterfly species.  The small and well appointed display teaches us that there are many forms that plants use to lure in insect prey for their food.  We know about some of the obvious styles, like fly trap and pitcher, but the cute little flowers on bladderwort and butterworts are there to attract the insects that will be killed and consumed when stuck to the flypaper type leaves.  The diminutive sundews produce extra sticky dew drops that never release the bug that gets too close.  They are all botanically interesting and some very pretty to see.  Imagine the poor bug’s life ending as it is called to investigate one of these exotic traps.  Survival depends on more than fitness of body.  In the wild we must have the good sense to leave attractive menaces alone.

Amaro, a Bitter Wonderland

August 11, 2014 — 4 Comments

 

full flavor of dessert

full flavor of dessert

I have been reading a lot about amaros in the blogging universe.  These herbal digestive concoctions, mostly from Italy, have become a new darling star of the cocktail bar scene.  Some bloggers are making their own mixtures by infusing brandy with combinations from their own gardens.  This is super appealing to me.  Typically served after dinner to aid in the digestive process, straight up or over a couple of ice cubes, the syrupy taste is a delight with a rich dessert.  I saw a selection of amaros on the menu at Feast and decided to try one with a malted chocolate cake with rich dense creamy caramel filling. We rarely eat dessert, so sharing one slice was plenty of sweet richness for both of us.  Bob tasted the amaro, but I sipped it throughout the dessert course between bites of the dense, full chocolate flavors in the cake.  The cake was garnished with candied grapefruit peel, which added another dimension of bitter and sweet to the finish.

I have not been a fan of bitter herbs or any kind of digestive tonic.  Since making my own bitters and shrubs this summer I have come to appreciate the ways bitterness enhances both health and flavor.  The liberal use of bitters in cooking is fun, and adds extra dimension that is hard to describe, but fills out the profile of any food.  More importantly, the flavor bitter stimulates the liver to produce bile, which one needs to digest fat.  I am not sure how many grams of fat were in my cake, but it felt like pure butter on the tongue.  I am guessing the count in butterfat was very high, but we only had a few bites which we enjoyed.  The sipping of the amaro did open up kind of a new way to feel and sense the whole process of dessert.  I have had after dinner drinks with brandy, eau de vie, or coffee, but have never sipped an amaro before.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their sense of taste.  It happens to be good for digestion at the same time.  Cheers, to a slightly bitter ending to your meal!

Amaro with 2 cubes of ice

Amaro with 2 cubes of ice

Recovery in the Deep End

August 9, 2014 — 10 Comments

 

When I go to the pool to play I follow no set of exercises.  I generally go to the deep end and do a lot of twisting and large movements.  To Floatli is to find balance and then play your way to fitness and sporty fun.  Right now I have injured my foot by walking too much on holiday. It only hurts when I put weight on it, so the deep end is the place for me.  I can still enjoy full range of motion (and beyond what gravity will allow) while keeping that tired tendon in my foot from overworking while it heals.  I was getting kind of cranky on the last few days of my vacation when my aching feet slowed down my pace and I was away from my pool that I love so much.  Water is both healing and soothing.  The deep end of the pool is a lot like the deep end of life.  It is best to know when you can handle depth, and when it is a good idea to stay in the shallow end of things.  I am happy and lucky to have my own private deep end to use as I see fit.  It keeps my mood up while I recover full use of my footsies.  Gravity is fine, but has limits, especially if we are injured.  What do you like to do when your body needs to heal?

Invasive Species, Rhus Lancea

August 8, 2014 — 7 Comments

Invasive botanical species are like untended social problems. If they are ignored they will take over and eliminate the native species because they are powerful and destructive.  Rhus Lancea is an invasive species that is taking over midtown Tucson.  It was brought here as a landscape plant, but quickly got out of control.  It is a relative of poison ivy, and causes some people to have serious allergic reactions, either respiratory or as a skin rash.  It spreads by producing abundant seeds as well as by spreading underground by suckers.  If there is irrigation water, rhus lancea will be very likely to sprout and grow, taking nutrients and moisture from the native or landscape plants.  Since it develops such a network underground the tree is very difficult to kill.  Cutting it down will not kill it, but will encourage spreading through the roots.  It is like a street gang, very undesirable and hard to eliminate.

I have been thinking about how these invasive plants are like crime.  If everyone ignores crime like tagging, vandalism, and gang activity it sucks the nutrients and value out of the neighborhood.  If drug dealing and other crimes are tolerated they blend into the scene making the whole place less valuable and less safe.  With no awareness, or worse, willful blindness to criminal and anti social activity we can only expect the environment to fill with undesirable behaviors.  We have a vivid illustration of this right outside my front door.  We pay landscaping company to kill our landscaping plants and waste large amounts of water each day.  We (the owners of shares of our HOA)  have just paid to have what was described as a dying mesquite tree removed from our sidewalk.  Since it is not dying and is a rhus lancea, we have paid these gardeners to encourage the growth of all of the children of the tree, that have been left in place.  The stump will probably grow back again too.  If actions we take are based on ignorance we will not arrive at a better situation.  Can you think of situations like this that remind you of government?  Working against our own interests seems to be so common these days.

Reverse Culture Shock, Being Home

August 2, 2014 — 2 Comments

Travel is exciting and broadens the mind. I love to go, but I love to come home even more. When I compare my ease and comfort at home with life on the road, even at wonderful places, I am always pleased that I live where I do.  My midtown location makes it simple and fast for me to shop for anything I want.  I am surrounded with very high quality body workers and Chinese Medicine practitioners.  My esthetician is the best in the world, and her practice is just blocks from my home.  I miss my pool and giant jacuzzi when I travel because it is private and rarely used by anyone but me.  I go in the morning during the summer and have the water all to myself every day.  I do like the pools at my health club, the Tucson Racquet Club, in the winter months because they are heated and next to a steam room.  This time of year (August) nothing pleases me more than to walk around the corner and have hours with the private pool all to myself.  I have never been anyplace else where this is true.

I am happy to be back in my kitchen.  Dining and tasting all over town has its merits, but whipping up anything you want to eat because you can is better.  I am a good cook, and have brought some of the flavor ideas home with me that I learned in my neighborhood of East Austin. I met more than one great craft cocktail maker who have given me new ideas for shrubs, punches, and custom soda drinks.  I tasted some pickled veggies that made sandwiches pop, and are very easy to prepare and keep on hand in the fridge.  I was served the best mac and cheese which was baked in the same black cast iron pans I use at home to bake bread.  I will knock off the black bean, jicama, avocado, romaine salad from El Chilito and it will be as if I never had to leave Manor Rd.

The University of Arizona students will come flooding back into town, but there are fewer of them than at University of Texas.  While I was on holiday the new tram opened downtown which will make our transportation system much fancier and desirable.  The students will now be able to tram all over downtown to drink, then tram back home without getting behind the wheel.  This new attraction will be fun for us also.  We plan to ride down to check out some of the new businesses along the tram line very soon.  There is still plenty to discover right here in Tucson.  I am shocked at how much I love my hometown.

Calamondin

July 14, 2014 — 6 Comments

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

One of the generous citrus trees in my garden is the calamondin. It bears fruit for many months which are useful and tasty.   It is odd to have such a large crop in the middle of summer, but we had a very unusual winter in Arizona.  The tree is loaded with ripe and green fruit in the middle of July, so we can expect to have fresh fruit until September.  The tree comes from Asia where it is popular in Indonesian and other cuisines.  It has medicinal as well as culinary applications.  My next door neighbor is from Viet Nam.  She told me they dry the peels in salt, which is later used as a remedy for sore throat.  Other known medicinal uses include as a cure for constipation.  Be advised about this one.  We prepared a drink with water, honey and calamondin juice for my mom to drink on a car trip.  She enjoyed it so much that she polished off a quart, which gave her a bad case of the runs.  Moderation is important when you try the juice.  I have made infused vodka just by soaking the fruits in it, which turns out very well also.

I have started making bitters.  I have mad a batch of peach and one of apricot, both made from our own trees.  The taste is interesting, whether you cook with it, drink it as a flavoring in fizzy water, or use it in cocktails.  I am experimenting with new combinations, using a book to guide me about the proportions.  Next I will whip up a batch of calamondin bitters, for which I am slightly altering the recipe the book gives for lime bitters.  I think this will be a delicious way to make use of calamondin’s tart and unique taste.  A little bit of bitters imparts big flavor to food and drinks.  I adore the taste of limes, but the crop failed in Mexico this year and prices are sky high.  Calamondin makes a pretty substitute.  They can often be found in Asian markets if they don’t grow near your home.  You can make simple syrups, bitters, or just juice the fruit fresh in cocktails. Here are some cocktail ideas to get your creativity started:

Chi Nei Tsang, Ancient Healing Art

July 13, 2014 — 3 Comments

I am lucky to have found, right in my neighborhood, a Chi Nei Tsang practitioner of great talent and ability. Her name is Desiree Maultsby and her practice is at Rooted Massage Therapy in Tucson.  I  wanted to address inflammation in my organs that was discovered at my thermography session.  Obviously my lifestyle and diet are under my own control and can be improved.  To help me better understand and improve the chi flow in my internal organs I wanted to use Chi Nei Tsang because I know it is effective.

Taoist practices are simple, yet complicated.  There is order, but there is a great deal of mystery as well.  Chi, universal energy, moves through the body and around it.  The way we direct chi, and allow it to flow will determine the state of our health and our mood.  The most basic way to think about chi in the abdomen is to bring to mind the proverbial knot in the stomach.  Stress, improper habits and diet, and other factors can constrict and block the flow of energy and circulation in the internal organs.  Deep breathing is the best way to relieve these constrictions and restore good function to all the organs.  With the help of a practitioner a chi nei tsang session can bring dramatic and instant results in healing congestion in the abdomen.  There are simple practices of self massage and breathing techniques that can be done between sessions to greatly enhance the results.  This is, for practical purposes, a meditation technique.  Your awareness will grow from this practice, of both the power of your breath, and the importance of freeing up energy in the organs.

Physical issues that bring pain to the abdomen may very well be related to trauma held in the gut.  Breathing techniques and sound vibrations have healing effects on the specific organs.  Your practitioner will guide you by giving you meditative instruction as well as reminders about breath.  By working very closely together in this way deep psychic wounds you don’t even know you have can be healed.   The treatment is not at all like a Swedish massage, which I really like for the pleasurable feeling at the time.  This is a full on transformational pursuit.  If you want to chat or stay on the surface, then chi nei tsang is not for you.  You remain clothed and the treatment takes place on a mat on the floor, to make the best use of gravity.  I am very impressed with the progress my body has made in just three sessions with Desiree.  I recommend her work to anyone interested in making profound changes.  She provides plenty of supplemental information for those who want to do their homework.