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Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

October 9, 2014 — 7 Comments

Clarkdale, AZ

Clarkdale, AZ

I bought the audio book Falling Upward at the suggestion of a fellow student at a conference I attended last June. I encountered the contemplatives for the first time, and had a lot to learn from them. James Finley guided us for a meaningful and educational weekend. I owned an audio book by Dr Finley and Carolyn Myss covering the subject I have already heard at the conference, transcending trauma. This complex idea deserved a review, so on my recent car trip I listed to the trauma book to deepen my understanding. On my trip back home I decided to hear Richard Rohr read his own book, Falling Upward. I started from Clarkdale before dawn and arrived in Tucson about 10 in the morning. Most of the drive was really scenic, but even Phoenix traffic was bearable because I was enjoying the book so thoroughly.  I have one disc still to hear, but I am fully ready to recommend this book to anyone, especially to those over 40.  This is another way to look at retirement planning, from a spiritual perspective.

Falling Upward explains spirituality as it pertains to the two halves of life.  In other words, humans are involved in the giant birth/death/recycle action of the universal field.  There is a time for building up, and a very appropriate time for breaking down. All of nature does this constantly.  Although Mr Rohr is a Franciscan and a Catholic priest, his point of view is not all presented from a theological stance.  He knows history very well and uses his experience in the study of initiation rites of native people around the world to draw large conclusions.  His conviction is that humans are capable of taking a grand excursion of the soul.  He reminds us that all saints and holy figures leave home on a big crazy journey, only to return to home.  The journey represents necessary suffering that teaches the mystery beyond the suffering.  In the second half of life this death of the perceived self, or being in the world but not of it, can lead to enlightenment.  In our culture many of us cling to the structures we built in our youth as if there is nothing greater or beyond our own creative control.  Falling Upward involves letting go to the point that previous reality fades from view as we float to our intended home in eternal bliss.  Sound kooky??? Well, it is.  All the saints and prophets were considered to be out of their minds.  Many were killed.  Before the truth sets you free it generally makes you appear to be crazy.

I like to hear authors read their own books to me.  I feel like it becomes more personal.  This one is very special because I had never heard of Richard Rohr before his fan told me about him last June.  Now I am a huge fan too.  I invite you to listen, gentle reader.  I could make a big difference in the end.

Falling Upward

Falling Upward

 

 

 

Cottonwood Arizona Revealed

October 6, 2014 — 2 Comments

The Verde Valley north of Phoenix has a very interesting history.  I had not visited the area for years and had read about the popular wine trail as a destination.  I decided to spend a night in the restored historic section of  Cottonwood.  It is charming and very laid back.  Folks are friendly, and most of the merchandise I saw on offer was of high quality.  There are several antique dealers with very large inventories of interesting items.  There are excellent restaurants and plenty of wine bars for tasting or evening entertainment.  The wineries are doing good business here selling mostly limited small batch varieties. I did a tasting at the Burning Tree Cellars that I enjoyed.  I liked all of the reds I tried, to my surprise.  The Arizona wine industry has vastly improved the quality of their products in recent years.  Some of the Burning Tree wines are made from California grapes, but made  and bottled in Camp Verde, AZ.  Arizona can be proud of our wine now.  It has come a long way, baby. The walkable downtown makes tasting here a breeze. There are four upscale wineries located in a two block area, all very popular.

I don’t drink much wine these days, but am always immersed in history.  I like to learn everything I can about places I visit.  Knowing what happened in the past brings the place to life for me.  I was unaware that Cottonwood had such a famous and checkered past.  This tiny town was the bootlegging capitol of the state in the 1920s.  There were tunnel systems below the streets leading from one storage place to others.  The typical establishment had a pool hall, a barber shop, or another small business in the front and liquor sales in the back of the building.  The tunnels were connected to homes and shops, as well as to automotive garages.  Cottonwood bootleggers were supercharging cars and filling them with liquor to transport out of the area.  It is said the garages had two tanks on the street out front, one with gasoline and another with hootch.  Al Capone was once held in the local jail and there is a carving of his name that still remains.  A still blew up and caused a very large fire that destroyed many wooden buildings in 1925. I learned all this and more when I took a short walking tour with Karen Leff, Cottonwood businesswoman and enthusiast.

I entered the lobby of the Cottonwood Hotel and found Karen, who is the owner, at the reception desk.  She has made a study of the town’s history by questioning old timers who remember, and looking up documents and newspapers from the past. Her knowledge is extensive.  She shares it by leading tours for interested groups by organizing Custom Cultural Heritage Tours. It was my lucky day because she had a short window of time to give me a quick version of her walking tour.  I had a wonderful time touring some of the rooms in her hotel before we walked around to see the places the bootleggers made famous.  Mae West did stay at the hotel, and a charming suite dedicated to her memory is one of the choices for accommodation.  The small former rooms have been updated and expanded for modern taste.  The balcony is a treat because it gives a full view of Main Street below.  The view came in handy for a group of bank robbers who checked in. I fully enjoyed my time learning about history and some present day ghost stories as well.  If you are in the area I fully recommend one of the tours Karen offers. She is in love with her town and it shows. You will get in touch with the spirit of the past by looking around historic Cottonwood.  Karen added greatly to my appreciation of the town.

Heirloom Farmers Markets-Tucson

September 14, 2014 — 2 Comments

In September Arizona agriculture is peaking with abundance. There are crops that grow well in serious heat, like melons and okra, that are finishing the season.  Many more crops enjoy the long slow slide into winter that we have and will be ready soon. The grapes for wine are soon to be harvested, the apples in Wilcox are being picked, and some date varieties are now starting to be ripe and ready to eat.  There are a large variety of squash being grown around Arizona that are never seen in regular grocery stores, and you can even get fresh squash blossoms to prepare.  More vendors come out in the cooler weather as more customers show up to shop and dine at the food trucks.  We like to go for unusual gourmet finds as well as for entertainment.  We see people we know and sometimes take the dog.  It makes a good outing and supports the local farmers in the process.  Today we came home with some very special smoked salsa homemade by smoking all the vegetables on mesquite wood before combining them.  We bought a baby blue Hubbard squash..a mini version of the giant winter squash with the rich flavor.  I got some cayenne, garlic  and some extra hot jalapeño chiles because our own chiles in the garden are ripe and ready to go to become salsa at home.  I will use the little green tomatoes, the garlic  and the chiles to round out the flavor and make different levels of picante for different tastes.  We are drinking fresh apple cider today from Wilcox. The little lemon cucumbers will make a sparkle in salads and the light colored pickling cucumbers are good straight up why themselves as a snack.  We did not get dates because I have a few I need to use from last season before I start on this year’s.  I don’t mind paying extra in order to put the mooney right into the hand of the person who grew or made it.

How is the farmers’ market scene where you live?  Are you able to get to one on a regular basis?  I like both the specialty prepared foods and the fresh produce.  They both serve the local farming community and let us have some extra special meals enhanced by products and produce not to be found at standard grocery shopping outlets.  When I travel I make it a point to attend a local market if at all possible.  I think they are growing in popularity and in variety of available products.  Some have musical entertainment.   It is fun to meet the farmer and know your food is as fresh as it can be.

Fitbit Frenzy

September 13, 2014 — 6 Comments

I am so thrilled with my relationship with my new Fitbit. It arrived two days ago and changed my life. It is everything I hoped it would be and much more. It synchs with your computer (Phone/device) to give you a complete picture of your daily activities. It shows graphs that measure your steps ( and or exertion) in real time, and your calories burned. The food log is simple to use and includes all foods I have eaten so far on a menu with calories counted upon entering.  The activity log is available if you care to detail which you have done when .  Hiking, biking, running, walking and swimming are listed.  You can also create your own categories.  I have made a Floatli category because I can’t wear the Fitbit in the water (separation anxiety does occur), but I can record the time I have spent on my computer log.  It is brilliant!

This weekend we are planning a pizza party for ourselves and maybe others.  I will need to earn the pizza slices that will greatly effect my graph.  We decided to put it off until tomorrow, and I am pleased because I can burn baby burn today to be on my goal.  The Fitbit is making me think ahead to calculate a plan eat pizza rather than banning it forever and indulging impulsively by jumping off the prohibition of pizza wagon.   I love it.  It makes me feel the need to deposit calories burned before I eat them!!! I have tracked food on a list and divided into food groups before, but this data is so complete and visually compelling that it makes writing it down seem primitive.  The deal in fitness and health is that if you are not having a good time you will not act in your own best interests all the time.  Movement, exercise, whatever you choose to call it, is just using the body you have to enjoy life.  Measuring it gives you a powerful motivation to improve.  Some folks join groups, or compare their performance to the entire population using the Fitbit.  I don’t need that because I am most competitive with myself.  I have become inspired and enthused to keep all my graphs green and my steps increasing daily.

My Fitbit Flex model also measures my sleep.  Last night I had a particularly unsound sleep pattern.  The night before I had a few restless seconds and a three short times awake during the night. Last night I spent a long time awake, during 9 different sessions. I was aware of it at the time, and was thinking this will look bad on my sleep graph.  I think that in itself is pretty funny.  I am even concerned about how my Fitbit scores my performance when I am in bed at night.  I think most of my nights will read like my first one, since I do sleep well.  The other funny thing about night time is that upon awakening I saw that the gin and tonic I poured for watching television  which we do in bed) was almost full.  I instantly thought how sad, I wrote that down in my food log and didn’t even drink it.  All this concern could make a person crazy, but I believe this is a good crazy.  I recommend this kind of crazy to anyone.

No Kid Hungry Dine Out

September 12, 2014 — 7 Comments

No Kid Hungry

No Kid Hungry

This week you can dine lavishly so that others may simply dine. We have a problem feeding hungry children in the United States. This should be an embarrassment to the wealthy.  If you feel that you can help this worthy cause by just taking your restaurant business to a participating local partner this week, please do. Just enter the zip code where you live and you will discover which places are involved in your area.  When you mention the program your partner restaurant will make a donation to No Kid Hungry based on the amount you spend.   In our area the participating businesses are mostly bagels, Denny’s, and pizza.  One of the pizza places making donations is near our home and we have never eaten their famous coal fired pizza.

Grimaldi’s Coal Fired Brick Oven will be whipping out some weekend party food for our house.  They are a chain, but a relatively small one.  Here is a glimpse of the Grimaldi’s in Denver:

I look forward to trying the crispy crust, but even more I will keep them in mind because they are supporting this very worthy cause.  I like to spend my money where my mouth is…in this case many mouths will benefit.  Join me this week to help end childhood hunger, while I deal with our adult hunger in a creative and tasty way.

Penca, Downtown Tucson

September 8, 2014 — 1 Comment

Our Sunday brunch today was exciting new and different. We went downtown to Penca, a restaurant we have been wanting to try.  We both loved our experience and want to return very soon and often.  The cuisine is labeled Mexico City style, but it is also a very fine example of fresh combinations and very artful mixology.  Our favorite Mexican restaurant in Tucson burned to the ground a few months ago, so we have been hunting for a new one.  Penca wins for many different reasons.  The decor is post industrial modern with as much of the old building in tact as possible for style.  The design successfully tells you that the place has a unique flavor and point of view.  It is refreshing after so many meals in the corny Mexican restaurant decor with pictures of parrots and Javier Solis. (not that I want to get rid of that forever).  The open kitchen also sends the smells of the kitchen wafting through the space in just the right way to make you hungry.

The restaurant is housed in a building that was once owned by the Graham Truck Company.  The brick openings  still visible on the walls are large enough for vehicles to pass.  The  designer did a great job of keeping the industrial feel with plenty of metal features.  I particularly love the swiveling doors that can create privacy in an area in the back for parties or events.  The mural on the wall is the street view of the building in the past.  They warm up the room and the acoustics by using wood for tables, walls and the bar.  It feels spacious because the ceilings are high.  The exposed duct work becomes a design element and sets a modern tone.

We arrived before the crowd arrived and therefore had very personal service.  The chef dropped by our table to chat, which was fun and informative.  He let me know that the dish I had ordered, the corn cakes with chalula butter and jalapeño syrup with a side of 2 eggs and some black beans, was his favorite on the menu.  He also told me to get a side of Chalula to add to the flavor.  This was the perfect suggestion for me because although the butter had some heat, and the syrup also, the complete sweet and heat balance was brought out by using that extra hot sauce.  I loved the whole thing. Bob had to help me finish after he enjoyed his own pork hash breakfast.

One reason we favor this as our new Mexican restaurant is the creativity at the bar.  When I was first told about the place my friend mentioned the tepache, a pineapple drink with a slight fermentation that is made in house and used in some of the cocktails. I ordered a bourbon and tepache, the preparation of which you can see here below.  The flavors were really intricate, including the bitters sprayed on the top, making it both pretty and giving a distinct bitter note to the first few sips.  They also make their own shrubs, and a pineapple shrub (they refer to it as pineapple vinegar) was used in my drink as well.  Bob reported that the Bloody Mary he had with his has was spicy and went perfectly with his food.  This is a pleasant departure from the usual margaritas and mojitos.  We are planning to go back again soon early on Sunday to repeat this super dining delight.  I want to try the tacos, and Bob wants to have the corncake special.  Compared with places we dine with similar gourmet offerings, the pricing at Penca is generous.  We were pleasantly surprised at the bill and I had to take my beans home because we both were so full.  If you enjoy delicious food and inventive bar service, try Penca.

 

Fall Food Fiesta, Pears

September 5, 2014 — 2 Comments

bartlett pears

bartlett pears

Peak Pear season is upon us and I couldn’t be happier.  These Bartletts will be perfect to slice and bake with brie and port wine for an evening bite. We have that simple combination a few times during the season with different varieties as they ripen.   The versatility of pears makes them good from breakfast until midnight snack.

Very simple pear preparations include:

If you want to do some special baking pears will enhance pastries, cakes and other desserts:

Don’t for get the cocktail hour:

Pears keep well so we will have them all winter from different parts of the country.  I hope you will enjoy the season as much as we do at our house.  What are your favorite ways to eat pears? Do you have a favorite variety?  Mine is Comice, very hard to transport, but worth the effort if you can find them.  Bon appetite!!

Floatli for All Seasons

September 1, 2014 — 1 Comment

I like to work out in both the warm and cool water in the morning.  If I go early the pool is in the shade, which my skin requires for happy water dancing.  The warm jacuzzi is perfect with the steps and handle for my long stretches and yoga postures.  The ladder in the deep end of the big pool provides similar advantages.  Not featured in the video here is the full set of steps with a handrail in the sallow end.  There are endless stretches and sun salutation variations that can be done when you have steps.  Each pool has its advantages.   Some pools and bodies of water have dangerous safety issues to consider.  A water movement routine can take advantage of all depths of water and all architectural features that are safely installed.  In nature you can use the tide or the current to your advantage if you are careful and have a clear understanding.

I am very lucky to have such a warm climate and pools that suit my purposes right at home.  In the winter our community pool is not heated, but the large jacuzzi is, so I can still enjoy a stretchy warm water work out at all times of the year.  My body is used to this kind of large movement in water and starts to miss it if I am away for very long.  The only places I like better than my own pools at home are hot springs pools.  My idea of pure bliss is to Floatli for hours in a mineral hot spring with a nice view.  Glenwood Springs, Colorado comes to mind.  I also love Desert Hot Springs, California. Euro hot springs resorts are the bomb.  Where do you like to go in the water, Gentle Reader? Do you have a pool, beach or lake near your home? How do you like to enjoy the water?

The Spa Spy

August 31, 2014 — 6 Comments

Spa Lady logo

Spa Lady logo

My business cards are running low so I have thought how I would like to edit the next batch I order.  I do love my logo that I had designed many years ago, but the way I work now and want to work in the future has changed.  I still love spas and travel, but am much more moderate about the amount of time I want to spend away from my home now.  I have not taught at a destination spa for ten years and I have no desire to resume any teaching like that.  I have been enjoying learning to blog and communicate in new ways in order to spread my talents and my message.  I still am a big believer in water immersion and bodywork as a restorative feature of holiday merriment.  I no longer have any need of classes all day and a competitive program to follow in an all-inclusive package.  I don’t need instruction to make good use of a gym, pool or a steam room. I am an expert at all of that.  I appreciate good teaching but now prefer to study in short spurts, doing workshops with teachers I truly admire over a one size fits all health curriculum.  I now like an a la carte approach to my own health.

This has made me think about my very first job in the spa industry which was not a paid position.  I was a swimming teacher and also taught aquatics and studio fitness classes at a local health club.  I was invited to Canyon Ranch in Tucson to meet one of my travel clients and deliver a ticket to her (airline tickets were on paper and very valuable, if you remember). She took me to a class in which I was invited to participate.  During the class the teacher, who was the fitness director, danced over and asked me if I wanted a job.  I said no.  After class I spoke to her and she made me an offer I did not refuse, which was to be a spy in the pool classes.  There had been complaints and she wanted to have a person take the classes and evaluate them.   This dandy offer came with no strings attached.  I went to 3 or 4 pool classes a day and wrote a short evaluation of them for the office.  If the teacher was very bad I had a talk with that instructor about improving the class, but never wrote them up to be as bad as they were.    If they did not improve, then I did make the report more negative.  The rest of my busy spa day was spent in the steam room, taking classes or getting discount body work.  I was really good at that job and added value to the operation while taking from it exactly what I desired at the time.  Later I went on the payroll, which I think was a big mistake.  I liked spying much better than working and going to meetings.

I think I have particular specialized knowledge that is useful to anyone operating a spa, and that I am going to launch a service called The Spa Spy.   I will offer to do an evaluation based on the needs of the client spa.  I can bring the spa director new perspectives, most importantly that of the customer.  Secret shoppers help retailers narrow down and eliminate problems in stores.  Since spas depend a lot on energetic and emotional elements it is even more important to find out how a customer who is not known to the staff is treated.  I can provide valuable feedback about in house rumors and attitudes…always easy to extract during a one hour service.  It is the easiest thing in the world to get the dish on how the staff feels about management during a spa treatment. My vast experience as a travel agent as well as a spa instructor makes me uniquely qualified to provide this service.  My next card will have a revision.  She will undergo a makeover..and become The Spa Spy….same classy lady, new services offered.  What do you think, Gentle Reader?  Do you own a spa and wonder what is really going on there?

Fall Food Fiesta, Grapes

August 27, 2014 — 3 Comments

Thomcord grapes

Thomcord grapes

I look forward to all the changes of seasons, but fall makes me think about food and the farm.  My grandfather grew concord grapes on his farm in Arkansas.  He sold his crop to Welch’s but we had plenty to eat, juice and make jelly.  My grandmother had a farm kitchen with everything in super large industrial sizes.  She milked the cow and sometimes when I was young she even made butter in a churn.  That was some kind of demonstration for me, because she could.  Jelly production involved a mountain of grapes and a giant sieve to strain the solids.   I have strong memories of their farm, but my favorite part by far was the grape vineyard.  My love of concord grapes has never left me.  Of all the fruits I think it will always be the one I wait for and want the most.  This may also be because living in Arizona I can’t get my hands on very many and the season goes fast.  I am happy that I have found a variety known as Thomcord at  Safeway early in the season.  This small seedless table grape is reminiscent of the concord deep flavor, but without the seeds and the slip skin.  It is like concord light.   I rather like the slip skin, but I am fond of the way I can eat these non stop.  I like to snack on all kinds of grapes, but there are some extra cool ways to use them in cuisine and at the bar too.

The seedless varieties are less intense in flavor but lend themselves well to:

I would use the real concord with seeds and full flavor for the perfect versions of:

I am looking forward to some deep purple cocktails this season:

What are your favorite varieties of grapes and how do you like to use them?  I always love learning new customs and recipes.