It's A Lifestyle Change Not A Diet

First, let me just say how very proud I am of our daughter Sonia Wilson.She and all our children make me proud for many reasons, each one for different reasons, but today I want to share the latest reason for pride: Sonia's ongoing success as she experiences a lifestyle change that ultimately is improving her health and subsequently changing her figure. That distinction is very important.   For years she has struggled with her weight and dealt with  health issues (migraines, kidney stones & gestational diabetes during both her pregnancies). She has dreamed about her figure from high school and

has always been a picky eater, trying many "diets"without success, but her weight never interfered in her happiness. She married a wonderful guy and has a beautiful family. 
 








Her discovery of Team Beachbody & Shakeology has really made a difference. As a mother of 2 with a busy career that involves a lot of travel, life was just, ........ exhausting. She knew she needed a healthier lifestyle and she found it.

What is Team Beachbody?  

It's not just "here's the stuff, good luck", it comes with a support team, coach, and accountability. Sonia has been involved in this for more than 45 days. She swears by it and says: I have never stuck with other programs, this one WORKS" The greatest value for her is more than the physical change, it's the lifestyle change, the increased energy and improved health. Even her 3 year old joins her for the workout when she is home. What a great time they have together. When she travels it is easy to take it with her and stay with it.
So of course I ask her, "What about us old foggies who have bad backs & arthritis?" WELL, it seems they have a program for us too. Take a look at this video -  PiYo Fitness

Sonia has been noticing a change in the way her clothes fit but on day 45 she got the courage to do another full length photo and this is what she discovered she has accomplished along with the increased energy & just feeling great-

Pretty impressive! They currently do not ship to Mexico, but she tells me as soon as they do, she'll be signing me up!! Could be fun! Sonia has reached Emerald Coach Status! You go girl! If you would like more information about Team Beachbody & Shakeology, I know this great coach who would be happy to share more information with you and be with you on your journey to better health & fitness. Email her sonia.wilson79@gmail.com

Self Propagating Gardens Part II

The next flowering plant that will reproduce on its own is one I call Dawn & Twilight Bloomer. 

The stem reminds me of the geranium family in that you can break off a branch at the ribbed joint, stick it in dirt and it will sprout roots & grow, but it also produces seeds (following a bloom), that will naturally fall to the ground to grow or you can harvest these seeds and plant elsewhere. As in my last post, all I do is spread them on the ground where I want them to grow. There is no need to do all that fancy potting & transplanting business. I just let mother nature do what she does best.

The seeds look like peppercorns (black & tan variegated). Most of them are solid black, but out of an estimated 25 seeds, one will be striped and be more oval. I do not know the meaning of this other than maybe there is a male & female plant. Yep, I make this stuff up as I go along, but wouldn't be surprised if I am right. The new seedlings look all the same regardless of whether it started from a black or striped seed. 

The new seedling germinate and its first few leaves will look like this.  They grow & bloom best in shady areas and around the base of larger plants than shade it. If they have something supporting them, like up against a wall they can get as tall as 3 feet and have a spread of 2 feet. 

Next blog (Part III), will be about creating new plants from a stem of an existing plant. So easy to do and you may never go to the nursery again to buy plants. Instead you may find yourself knocking on a neighbors door to ask if you can have a "clipping" of one of their plants. It's a common practice here in Central America.

Happy Gardening!

"Time in the garden, rejuvenates the earth & soul" 
Catherine Thomas March 2015

Everything You Need for a Beautiful Garden, Part I

Living in the tropics is a wonderland for gardeners, but I am beginning to believe that a beautiful garden can be had by anyone who looks closely at the plants that grow close to home. Developing a garden that reproduces itself is a gift from God. You don't need fancy plants from a nursery or to buy plants every year to fill the beds and this blog series will show you several examples of plants that are in my yard that self propagate. I mean think about it, how did the earth flourish without Home Depot Garden Center?
I am by no means an expert and have a simple common sense knowledge of gardening, but it works for me. Plants reproduce by way of seeds, roots and many will re-create themselves from just a section of a branch in the right environment. Lets look at flowering plants in my yard that reseed themselves and no I do not know their botanical names, all ya'll flower experts can do the identification if you like. Me, .... I call them what they look like to me.

This looks like a Zennia to me, but someone here called it a Marigold. Anyway, they can grow multi-colors on the same plant and are long lasting clipped & brought in for vase arrangements. They are beautiful in the yard and butterflies LOVE them, so if you like flowers that bring you butterflies plus can be used in cut flower arrangements this one is perfect. As the pollen is removed from the bloom, what's left will go through these stages: 

This is when the butterflies like it best. Note the mount in the middle, it produces the little yellow flowers that are like candy to butterflies. As they are all used up the petals then start to dry out as well as the mound in the middle as seen in the following 3 pictures

 

Petals fall off, center mound dries and starts to separate. At this point I clip it off and spread the seeds that are inside the mound where I want them to grow, Versus letting the wind carry them away. as in this last picture. 

I do not seed them in little pots or any of that silly stuff. They were designed to lay on the earth and with water & sun they sprout on their own. How much easier and just think, letting nature do what it was designed to do, .................. amazing!!!
Sometimes if I want to plant a whole bed of them I will pick the buds as the petals start to dry and put them in a little uncovered container on the porch until they are all dried and spread them in a large area all at once. I love how nature works! Oh & identifying the new sprouts is easy, just look closely at the leaves.
Full Grown

<Young plant

 <Seedling



Next in this series will be my "Morning/Evening Bloomers" NO I do not know what they are really called. Stay Tuned!!

A Most Unique Mexican Vacation

Tourists visit Mexico for a variety of reasons: Beaches, Water Sports, Wildlife, Hiking, Mayan Ruins,

Historic Sites, and some just to escape the cold winter. In the Midwest of the United States, Dude Ranch Vacations have become a popular destination for travelers wanting a unique experience in wide open spaces with horseback riding. What if you could combine the best of both of those worlds? You would then find yourself at Num Kaan Ranch, a jewel of the south between Bacalar & Chetumal, Mexico.

Num Kaan Ranch is situated on 40 hectares of land, much of it still jungle. Right off Hwy 307, the ranch property stretches all the way to the Lagoon. Our lagoon is the same body of water as the well known Bacalar Lagoon (The Lake of Seven Colours) although our section of the lagoon is considered Xul-Ha, part of the nearby village of Xul-Ha. On the ranch we offer affordable lodging from economical palapa roof cabanas to air-conditioned family suite casitas boasting full kitchens, TV, dining room and sleeps up to 6 people.

We are about to open Num Ka’an Bunkhouse consisting of 8 air conditioned rooms for a total of 32 beds and capacity to sleep 36. All total Num Kaan Ranch can lodge up to 62 people. The Jungle Horse Restaurant & Cantina is a favorite spot for a great meal & refreshing drinks for our guests hailing from all corners of the worlds as well as the local community and surrounding area.
On-site amenities for our guests include a beautiful, pristine multi-level pool, volley ball court, horse shoe pits, access to the laguna, kayaking and, of course, our horses. A favorite for the kids is the rodeo paseo, spending 20 minutes in the corral riding or being guided by one of our wranglers. We also offer a paseo to the laguna, which is a 2 hour ride through the jungle stopping half way at the laguna for a refreshing swim. Num Ka’an Ranch is currently home to 15 horses, 7 of which we use routinely for the paseos. In the near future we plan to offer horseback riding lessons and we may be acquiring additional horses to add to the herd, so stay tuned for more

on that.

While staying with us, we can also arrange for local tours of the Mayan Ruins, Historical Sites in Bacalar and Guided Wild Life tours, so be sure to bring your camera. A 3 to 7 day stay would give you time to experience the sites that draw many to the Yucatan peninsula, all the while enjoying western style hospitality on a ranch. What a fabulous vacation for your family. There is something for everyone at affordable prices.

Num Ka’an is a perfect location for groups. Upon request we can work with you to package lodging, activities & meals for groups of 25 or more to fit a reasonable budget. Num Ka’an works perfectly for company meetings, tour groups, family events and special occasions. Our large event hall can easily seat 60 people for meals, meetings and other group activities.

Contact us for more information by emailing us (inquiry@numkaan.com), calling us 983-157-7483 (English), 983-139-0493 (Espanol) or visit our Facebook page (Num Ka’an) 

and website (www.numkaan.com) You can find us on skype, just search for Num Ka’an

Happy Trails,

Catherine Thomas

Num Ka’an Guest Services

Num Ka’an Ranch km 5 on Mexico Hwy 307 Xul-Ha Quintana Roo, Mexico

Joey's Birthing Story

I have been in on many births of babies, but NEVER puppies and let me tell you, I have a whole new respect for female dogs. Holy Moses, it was AMAZING!! Humans go to all this reading of books, buying the latest in birthing & baby equipment, take classes on breast feeding. Then we moan, scream & groan during labor and it takes a team of people to deliver one child (more if there is a multiple birth). Having had children myself I am in awe of the tenacity, spirit & strength of a birthing female dog. Attribute it to anything you want, doesn't matter, plain & simple they go through the process with dignity & strength!
I knew Joey was going to deliver last night. She was being snippy with the other dogs and staying away from them. I went up to bed, but I couldn't fall asleep, I kept going down stairs to check on her. Finally she followed me upstairs to the guest room where I had a pad & bowl of water set up for her, but when she saw Annie laying there she growled & barked at her, as if to say, "Hey, get the heck off my birthing pad", but Annie was not going to budge, so Joey went back down stairs. 
A little while later Annie did move to the other room & Joey nested down on the pad next to the bed. I watched her for a while  then dozed off to sleep.  I figured I would hear Joey when she started laboring. She never made a sound.
Long around 4:30 am I awoke to the sound of whimpering, I looked over & she had already pushed

out 2 puppies. The whimpering was coming from the puppies. I got up and sat next to the pad. Joey didn't seem to mind, she almost seemed to be pleased. I rubbed her back and could tell she was about to push out another. The process was nothing short of astonishing. 
They come out in the sac, she tears it open, eats the sac, slurps up the fluid and then thoroughly cleans them, drying them in the process. They find her nipples on their own and start nursing. She lays

back to take a break and 20 min later here comes the next one, the next & the next. I felt around her belly & knew there she wasn't done. 30 minutes go by and she starts contracting again. I thought maybe this was the placenta, but no she had one more to birth. 6 pups in all.
So for 3 - 4 hours she is contracting pushing, birthing, cleaning and feeding puppies ALL AT THE SAME TIME and then eats the placenta. Amazing!! 
The first 2 were white with black spots (obviously looking like the heathen that got our little Joey

pregnant), then 2 black with bronze/white feet & a little spit of white on the chest (looking like Joey), then the last 2 looking like the first two. I named them Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco & Seis. Uno & Dos were determined because one was wetter than the other.

Joey cleaned up as she went along, other than moisture on the pad, you would never have known puppies had just been birthed there. (But I will send that out for cleaning)
I got a few pictures and left Joey to rest with her puppies. Since she is upstairs she is safe from the

other dogs nosing around her puppies. After she rest a bit, I will take the birthing box up and help her transfer into that. That way when Joey needs to go out or eat, her pups will not be able to "roam around" while shes gone. We won't really know how

many males & females for a few days, but the lines are open for anyone wanting to lay claim to their favorite (hint hint).
 

Many of you have probably witnessed this with dogs or cats and think I am making too much of it, but for me it really had an impact. I guess animals escaped Eve's curse, so nice for them. I had planned all kinds of projects for today but I think I will just let the house stay quiet for Joey, she deserves it after all that work. I love how she has them all snuggled up together and lays her head over the top of the group to keep them warm & safe. 

Stay tuned for the Chronicles of Joeys Puppies.

 

Reconnecting after Deployment

Many of you know I have spent the last 3 months in Hopkins, Belize managing a guest house. Well I have returned home and have such a deep appreciation of all those years my hubby was in the Navy and what it meant for him to come home. I knew he was so happy to be home and we were excited too. In the early years I had to adjust to him not wanting to go anywhere right away, as the kids & I had done so

many fun things while he was gone (I had to keep them occupied, so we would just go & do stuff all the time), we wanted to share some of it with him, but he just wanted to stay home. We developed the practice of the 3 day honeymoon. For at least the first 3 days it was tabu for anyone to call or come over. This was family time!!! It worked very well, we would reconnect and slowly emerge into society and our outside activities. The other adjustment was relinquishing responsibilities that during the deployment were all on me.
I remember one time (it was a  lengthy deployment) I had been very spontaneous with the kids. Just on the fly I would say, "Hey lets go to the pool, or lets go bowling", things like that. I guess hubby was home for maybe a couple hours and one of the kids said, "Dad, when are you going out on the sub again?" Hubby said "Why do you ask?" "Because mom takes us to do FUN stuff", said the innocent child of truth. That's when hubby & I discussed moderation in what life is like during deployment compared to post deployment.

The new found appreciation I have for what it was like for hubby has probably left some of our friends wondering "What's up with her?" Well it's like this for me:
I am the social butterfly of our marriage, but after being a hostess for guest 24/7 for 3 months I am very much enjoying a few days of solitude. Getting to know my house again, my life again and forming a plan to re-engage in all the things I did before. It's like running at 150mph and coming to a screeching halt. There needs to be a buffer zone while the gears shift.
It was also hard during the last 3 months to find uninterrupted time to spend chatting with our children & grand children. So for the next few days if the only contact I have is with my family that will be the buffer zone I am in most need of right now. Be patient, the social butterfly you all know & love will emerge from her cocoon soon!

The Busy Bee

Which is a much better thing than being a busy body. Staying busy keeps me happy. A project here & there, our monthly BBQ's, or participation in a worthy cause, our life as retirees lends to being able to do as much or little as I like but, doing nothing drives me crazy. In my career life I had limited choices in "as much or little". Goals & Objectives set by bosses meant that to do well you gave it your all, ........ all the time. The rat race of success is for the young (I get tired just thinking about it). Yes, we could have a discussion about the meaning of success and work/life balance, but we'll save that for another time. However, I will say this: My dad always said & I have said many times that a parents deepest desire is that their children be an improved version of themselves. Since our daughter is in the same career field I was in, it makes a good comparison and she definitely is an improved version of me as she does a much better job of life/work balance.

Rainy season makes it easy to do yard projects, the earth is soft from all the

rain but sometimes the challenge is finding sunny days to do the work. Upkeep is a busy project during the rainy season, weeds grow rapidly and on rainy days I think I can hear them laughing at me, not to mention being able to literally watch the grass grow. I have a few more plants to get in the ground yet but, pretty much the landscaping is near complete. Well, maybe a few more flowering plants. I would love to have some "flowers for cutting", so I can get back to flower arranging. Until then, Mexico has a vast supply of cut flowers available, so I think I will start frequenting the flower venders until I define which ones will be easy to grow in my yard. I still have plans to do some indoor painting, so that's a project to look forward to. YES, I love to paint!!

I just about have the monthly BBQ's down to a science. Papi does all the

cooking and I get to do all the organizing, set up & clean up. Don't cringe, I love that part!! It was said of my mother that when people came over she couldn't sit still. She was always washing a glass or wiping a counter, etc. I think I inherited those genes.  There's a couple reasons for that. First, I really do have trouble sitting for hours on end. I am good for about 20-30 minutes and then I have to move around. Some people might feel that's rude, but I'm sorry it's just the way I am.

Secondly, at the end of a long day (our BBQ's joyfully go for 6-8 hours easy, sometimes longer), I dislike very much having to do the clean up all at one time and my OCD doesn't allow me to "leave it til the morning" I am just not built like that. Cleaning as we go works much better for me. By the time the last guest leaves, the food is put away, dishes are done, the counters & tables are clean. I work in stealth mode as our guest are there to be simply that - GUEST! I will slip into the kitchen, wash up a few dishes, refill my glass & return. The biggest improvement I would make to our BBQ's is to convince people that the roof top patio is so much more comfortable. One of these days I have to convince Papi to try doing the BBQ up there or screen in the downstairs porch. The flies are atrocious. But even with a screened in porch it would be so nice to get everyone to migrate to the top to eat & relax for the remainder of the BBQ. OK, off my soap box, maybe after rainy season is over, I will have made some progress on that.

The good causes down here that I have had the honor of being involved with, many of you are aware of: GLOW (Girls Leading our World), CWF (Corozal Womens Forum) & doing PR for CBSC. I have recently been invited to participate in a long standing passion of mine, Ultrasound Education. Being retired from my career in Diagnostic Ultrasound my credentials are in retirement but the knowledge & skill are still there. It grates my last nerve to know that truly good diagnostic ultrasound is not as readily available as it should be in Belize. A fairly new clinic has been established in Patchakan (Presbyterian Medical Clinic). They now have a full time female family practice doctor (with a specialty in OB). They have acquired an ultrasound system. It's an older model but a die hard, work horse that will serve them & the community well. The need for training led them to a gal who is the Director of Ultrasound Education at Presbyterian Mission Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wendy Skates, RDMS is a good friend of our daughters and introductions were made.

The exciting part for me was when I was asked if I was interested in being a local educational resource after the training was over. I think it took me a split second to say yes. A future blog will fill you in on how it all goes, but can I just say that it amazes me how the out pouring of love & generosity over this mission is allowing Wendy to bring a SLEW of supplies & equipment with her, but the BEST thing she is bringing is her amazing ability to educate!! I truly believe this is just the beginning.


Evidently, the weeds are laughing again, ........... gotta go silence them!!!