The Friday Five 5/18/12

1. What I'm Reading

I started reading this book in 2009. I barely got into it and then had to return it to the person I borrowed it from. I have been wanting to get back to it ever since! I don't know if you recall but I have a personal challenge to finish all of my "currently-reading" books on Goodreads before I start any new books. Well this is the 2nd to last one! I got it from the library this week and have until the end of June to finish it! I haven't started it yet, but I'm super excited.

"Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System is a non-fiction book written by Raj Patel. It was published in 2008 by Melville House Publishing. Stuffed and Starved looks at the inequities of the world food system from the beginning to the end of the conventional food chain, from producers to manufacturers and distributors to consumers. According to Naomi Klein, Stuffed & Starved is "One of the most dazzling books I have read in a very long time." From the introduction.

2. What I'm Listening To

For Christmas my brother gave Chris a thumb drive that had basically our entire music collection, plus my brother's music collection on it. Chris loves it! It is in his truck and he has a huge selection of a wide variety of music to choose from. He loves it so much that he decided he didn't need his Sirius XM radio anymore! Guess what that means? That means that I have the Sirius XM radio in my car now and can listen to so much more music and no commercials! I hate commercials and DJ's and so don't listen to the radio. I would stick on cd in my car and listen to it on repeat for months until I finally got around to sticking a different cd in there. So, I'm excited to have variety at a touch of a button!

3. What I'm Watching

This is an *INCREDIBLE* movie. It is a story of traditional "eskimo" people. It includes a love story, betrayal, magic, hardship and survival. It is spoken completely in the native language so it has subtitles but the story is epic and completely worth watching. I watched this for school but am searching it out to watch it again with Chris. I think it is that good.

4. What I'm Eating

For the past 6-ish weeks I have been on a pretty restrictive diet, excluding sugar, bread, alcohol, etc. That included dairy products. This morning I ate eggs! Oh, I love eggs. I scrambled some eggs on top of some slightly sauteed, torn bok choy. Delicious! In another few weeks I will be able to add more food items back in and I have to say one of the things I am looking forward to the most is peanut butter!

5. What I'm Looking Forward To

We are just 23 days away from the Helvetia Half Marathon on June 9th, 2012! I have been doing really well with my training. I walked 8.5 miles earlier this week and wasn't even sore the next day. This week I need to get out and get 10+ miles under my belt. I'm getting excited to see my friends, go for a long walk and just enjoy the sites and sound of the marathon. Plus I can't wait to get my t-shirt and my medal! I did the 10k in 2006 and 2009, so I have shirts from those events but no half marathon medal. This year I am getting my medal!

What's your five? Anything you are looking forward to?

What I See On My Walks

Last Frost Date

FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY!

We have passed our "last frost date" and it is fair game to get everything in the garden! We started planting our garden in January when we planted pepper and tomato starts indoors. They have been patiently waiting (us not so much) for our last frost date to come so we could safely move them outdoors to their permanent summer homes.

Over the last few days we have undertaken the move. SO exciting!

Peppers!

Tomatoes in the newest garden box!

'Maters! We have 13 plants. We are psychotic. (Last year we had 4).

In addition to the tomatoes and peppers we have a zillion pickles coming up...



We also have a bunch of peas, lettuce, bok choy (going crazy)...

Plus the garlic is still going strong, potatoes are super happy, we still have tons of spinach and have planted edemame, eggplant, butternut squash, dill, watermelon, cantaloupe, a variety of carrots, radishes, cucumbers, thyme, basil, corn, tomatillos, beans, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.









Elsewhere we planted parsnips, and we also have acorn squash, pumpkin, zucchini and spaghetti squash in the ground.

Zucchini!

 I also planted strawberries despite Christopher thinking that it takes too many to get a good amount. I say who cares?! I love strawberries, so even a few are better than none.

Also not pictured we planted a couple of raspberry stalks, our three blueberry plants are doing well, the lemon plant has tons of little lemons all over it, our plum tree is fruiting again this year and I am still harassing Chris about buying me a peach tree. :-)

I am SUPER excited to have all this stuff growing and be able to supplement my food with so much great stuff out of my own garden. Yes, it takes daily work, watering, weeding here and there, but it is totally worth it. I love relaxing in the evening with Chris while we water and follow the progress of our little plants.

What did you plant in your garden this year? Do you have a big garden or a small pot on a patio? It all counts!!



More Fun With A New Bang Bang

Chris decided he needed a new handgun the other day.

I know! What for? He already has one!

Whatever, he's a dude.

He had come across some information about a Smith and Wesson 9mm Shield. It is brand new and wasn't even available in our local stores yet. Chris got on the waiting list and bought the only one that came in before it even hit the shelf. He was super excited! So of course we had to go out and test it out!

Do you remember that I couldn't even fire his other 9mm when we went out shooting a couple weeks ago? Well, I did not have that problem with this gun. It is quite a bit smaller and the trigger is not so heavy. But for some reason I was a terrible shot with this gun. I felt like the whole angle was off with the target for me - like I was too short or something. 

We had a good time! The sun was shining and Chris really liked the way the new gun fired and felt. Another fun adventure for us! 

Mental Health Day

Do you ever just feel like you need a break?

I do. I am always worried about fulfilling my obligations, being the best wife, student and friend I can be. That means that 99.9% of the time I will do what I need to do regardless of how I feel about it. I know this is a problem not everyone suffers from, but I do.

I had a very bad no-good kind of day on Monday afternoon with an instructor. We have some, uhm, miscommunication happening and it got ugly. By ugly I mean I was furiously angry, and (those of you who know me well will know this is completely shocking) I actually started crying I was so insulted and angry. Yup. Not so good. (I think the last time I actually cried was when my mom was hospitalized in the Fall of 2010).

Of course after that I was just all emotionally riled up and that is exhausting. I had some awesome friends stay with me for a bit to commiserate and console me (Thanks August and Kristin!) and of course Christopher was there for me. But the emotional drain still took its toll.

Luckily yesterday I didn't have class until late in the afternoon (different instructor) and so I went for an 8.5 mile walk to a) train for my half marathon and b) try to work all the emotional bad juju out of my system. It took me about 2 hours and 45 minutes. I wasn't walking for speed, but for time on my feet and distance. I felt really good physically and I am not sore today, so that is awesome. It was also really just a great mental therapy walk. I got to think and think and hash out how I was really feeling, and be really honest with myself about what my perceptions were about the situation.

With all that said, this morning I really just felt like I wasn't quite done with my "me" time. I am still feeling really kind of raw and sour about the whole situation and it has just kind of spilled over to "college" in general. I will get over that, but at the moment I needed a little space, a little breathing room.

So I didn't get up out of bed at 6:30 this morning. I didn't make lunches. I didn't rush around making sure I was 100% ready for my day. I stayed in bed. I slept. I snuggled with my kitten. I got up and sat in the sun. I have worked in my garden. I have planted some more stuff. I walked around my yard and garden and looked at all the plants and flowers. I chased my kitten around the yard (she loves that!).  I cleaned up my house. I pulled some fish out of the freezer for dinner. I have just taken a little bit of time to do what feels right for me.

I realize that not everyone always has the opportunity to do that and so I am that much more appreciative of this quiet day to myself.

I do have some homework that will get my attention a bit later today. I have a few errands I am probably going to go run. A friend said she might drop by for a visit. It is a good day. I will be back to reality tomorrow and will have to deal with this issue, go to school, make lunches, and fulfill my obligations.

But just for today I am declaring myself the most important thing "to do" and am engaging the world in a way that fulfills me in a purely enjoyable way.

Do you take mental health days? Why or why not?

Stamp Out Hunger May 12, 2012

I guess this week is my week to talk about causes. :-)

THIS SATURDAY is an important day! Saturday May 12, 2012 is the annual Stamp Out Hunger campaign facilitated by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Every year the Letter Carriers support efforts to end hunger all across the country by picking up non-perishable food items that people like you and I leave out next to our mailboxes. The Letter Carriers pick up all this donated food on their regular routes one Saturday a year. They then take the donated food and give it to local food assistance agencies. Here in the Rogue Valley the donated food will be given to ACCESS.

Some information about hunger in the US according to agencies such as the USDA Food Report 2010 and Feeding America.

There are over 500,000 Oregonians suffering from food insecurity.
1 in 7 Americans are currently using SNAP (Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program-formerly known as food stamps).
1 in 8 Americans is currently receiving assistance from Feeding America.
1 in 6 Americans are facing hunger and are below the poverty level.

It is a common misconception that the people that need food are unemployed or lazy.

The problem isn't that people are unemployed or lazy. The problem is that people, even when they are working, don't make enough money to cover their minimal living expenses such as housing costs, fuel and energy costs, and still have enough left over to afford food. People facing hunger often skip meals or go for entire days without eating.

So how can YOU help?

This Saturday May 12, 2012 as you are hitting up the grocery store to pick up food for your lovely Sunday Mother's Day Brunch add a few extra non-perishables to your cart to donate to the Letter Carriers Food Drive.

Most wanted items:

Canned fish and meat (tuna/chicken)

Peanut Butter (or other nut butters)

Juice (canned)

Rice

Beans (canned or dried)

Cereal (all kinds-hot and cold)

Canned soups

Boxed meals (Tuna helper, hamburger helper, etc.)

Pasta (all kinds)

Canned fruits and vegetables

Dried fruit

Please do NOT donate items in glass containers (no glass juice bottles, no glass pasta sauces) or items that are expired.



Place your items in a bag next to your mailbox on Saturday morning and your letter carrier will pick it up and make sure it gets to your local food assistance organization.

Make your mom proud this Mother's Day! Donate food, the ultimate expression of love, to the Letter Carriers annual Stamp Out Hunger event!

Misleading Headline

There are a few things I'm passionate about in this world. Some of which are fairly obvious, such as good food. But another thing that I am pretty passionate about, that I don't often speak of, is Domestic Violence.

Domestic Violence is a cause near and dear to my heart. Or rather, I should say, the *prevention* and awareness of DV is near and dear to my heart. Many readers of this blog are close friends and family that know of a pretty significant episode of DV that touched our lives and almost killed my sister-in-law. I don't really talk about it much because it isn't really my story to tell. The short story is that my sister-in-law was attacked in her home by an ex-boyfriend who stabbed her more than 20 times. Amazingly, she lived. He is in jail.

Unfortunately, this is only one way in which DV or abuse has touched my life. It is hard to talk about publicly because it affects other people, and perceptions of other people, but suffice it to say that my childhood was not without violence directed toward me and those around me by one specific perpetrator. I will not name the person, not for their own protection, but because I refuse to give them power over me any longer.

All of this is a bit of background to help explain why I was so frustrated by a news headline recently that I was moved to write to the editor.

The headline read: "One is Too Many Ten Women Were Victims of Domestic Violence Last Year in Jackson County." The article was written by Vince Tweddell and was in the May 2012 edition of the Medford Sneak Preview, a local new paper primarily filled with local ads, a few articles and upcoming local events. I would link to the full copy of the article but I can't find it online.

The headline is massively misleading. It says "Ten Women Were Victims of Domestic Violence Last Year in Jackson County."

When I read that I read that *only* ten women were victims of DV last year in Jackson County. This is a horrible misrepresentation of the facts. It is wordplay at its worst! This headline minimizes the impact and effect of DV on women.

Here are the facts: According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (which I have written about before) 1 in 4 women in the United States will be a victim of DV in her lifetime. In Oregon 1 in 6 women has been the victim of forcible rape and 1 in 10 women have been the victim of intimate partner violence. (All statistics available on the NCADV website.)

The headline, if you bother to turn to page 20 to actually read the article, is referring specifically to the ten women that were killed as a result of DV in Jackson County over the last year.

This, of course, is a horrible number and the point of the article (again if one actually bothered to read it) is that this number is higher than "normal." Jackson County has seen an increase in DV and DV deaths in the last year or so.

That, in part, is what makes this headline so disappointing. It misleads the reader into thinking that there were *only* ten cases of DV last year. That doesn't seem like such a big number. What's the big deal? It can lead people to think that DV isn't actually a problem that needs attention.

Because I was so moved by this misleading headline I wrote the following email to the editor of the Medford Sneak Preview Nathanial Hayden.  

On May 5, 2012, at 8:40 AM, Corrie Beebe wrote:

Nathanial-

 

I must say I was very disappointed by your headline on Vince Tweddell’s article about Domestic Violence in Jackson County, “Ten Women Were Victims of Domestic Violence Last Year in Jackson County.” This headline is incredibly misleading and actually minimizes the impact of Domestic Violence occurrences. A novice reading this headline would get the impression that only ten women suffered from abuse or violence in the last year. That doesn’t seem so bad. In reality, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (www.ncadv.org) 1 in 4 women in the United States will be a victim of Domestic Violence in her lifetime. In Oregon 1 out of every 6 women has been the victim of forcible rape and 1 out of 10 women has been the victim of intimate partner violence. (All statistics available at the NCADV website.) While I appreciate Mr. Tweddell bringing the subject of Domestic Violence into greater awareness, I am disappointed that the headline minimizes the actual damage caused.

 

Sincerely,

 
Corrie D. Beebe
Medford

Let me just add here that I rarely take time to write to a publication.

I received the following response:

Dear Corrie Beebe,

I am sorry that that aspect of the headline was overlooked.  That was not our intention.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel Hayden 

Medford Sneak Preview

541-778-8164

PO Box 8412
Medford, OR 97504

Really? Two sentences? That was it. Huh. Let me just say I was disappointed with that, too.

Domestic Violence IS a problem that needs attention. I give props to Mr. Tweddell for writing about these women who lost their lives as a result of violence against them. I grieve for their families. I pray that their perpetrators will pay for their crimes. I just feel so disappointed that this opportunity to cast light on such a dark shadow in our society was minimized with such a misleading headline.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence please contact one of the many organizations that can help, including the NCADV.

The only way things like this get changed is when enough voices speak out against it. I am speaking out against it.