Juice Fast Day 7

It is a very pleasant night in the Desert Southwest.  Temperature is a delightful 70 degrees (F) and there is a gentle rain.  This is the seventh day of the Juice Fast and it is going well.  I experienced some tiredness over the weekend so I took it easy.  My energy was variable this morning but leveled off nicely as the day wore on.  Still, I have been taking it easy.

I have been consuming an average of 14 cups of fresh juice per day, plus more than a liter of water.  Sounds like a lot, but it is about the right amount to maintain consistent energy throughout the day.
I juiced some perfectly sweet watermelon and cantaloupe with hearts of celery.  I juiced all sorts of vegetables including carrots, cucumbers, beets, spinach, chard, bok choy, cabbage, and sweet red bell pepper.  I harvested and juiced local prickly pear fruit (see previous blogs). I added an orange to my vegetable juice mix and it was quite good (or perhaps I am just hungry).  One evening I added a garlic clove and basil leaf to my vegetable juice.  I have been giving my 16 year old juicer quite a workout.

I notice fleeting periods of relaxed bliss.  My sense of sight seems heightened.  I nails are growing more quickly than usual.  I choose to remain somewhat detached from the cares of the world.

Yesterday I started thinking about food.  I thought of some nori sushi I made a while ago with cucumber, carrot, and avocado filling and ginger soy sauce.  Was I craving the minerals in the seaweed?  The fat in the avocado?  The salt in the soy sauce?  The thought passed as did the thought of fresh bread and butter.  More time has been spent thinking I need a new juicer.  Technology has advanced in the past 16 years.  I want a quieter machine with better yield, drier pulp, yet easy to clean.  I have been trying to figure out the payback time based on the price of the new juicer and the amount of money I will save on fresh produce if the juicer gets better yield.  Does this remind you of a school math problem where X = the amount of money saved per pound of greens, y = the amount of money saved per pound of carrots, and Z = the amount of money saved per pound of celery juiced in the new juicer?  The problem is X, Y, and Z are unknown numbers.

I almost forgot to tell you, I also had the juice of two baby coconuts -- a rare treat.  It was ambrosia.
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Ending one full week of the 10 Day Juice Fast,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c) 2011                     P.S.  To support this blog, use discount code WAL660 for $5 off first purchase at www.iherb.com .  They sell nutritional supplements, raw supplements (Garden of Life), raw and organic food such as tahini, coconut oils, energy bars, goji, etc., herbs, teas, organic and natural shampoos, conditioners, skin creams and lotions, cosmetics, dry skin brushes, Madre Labs acai and Cafeceps, organic soaps, raw organic cacao, organic raw chia seed, hemp seed, seaweed, nuts, kelp noodles, oils, homeopathics, organic pet food, etc. at discounts.  Currently, they ship free for US orders of $20 or more.  They also ship internationally.  Just enter code WAL660 at check out.    Plus, there are helpful product reviews.   And more free:  iherb offers a variety of FREE PRODUCTS to sample, so be sure to select one with your order. www.iherb.com .  Thanks.

Fallen Vegetarians

Day 14 of no coffee.  Day 10 raw food vegan.  It is a comfortable 97 degrees outside with humidity up to 19 percent.  Been so dry I had to water the patio plants today.  Maybe it'll rain on Friday.

I read some interesting information on Dr. Mercola's website:  Most vegetarians are female.  Most of them laps after an average of 9 years of vegetarianism.  This pool of fallen vegetarians outnumbers current practicing vegetarians 3 to one!  They may fall off the vegetable wagon and board the meat truck for reasons such as declining health, cravings for meat, social pressure, etc. Bottom line: 75 percent of vegetarians fall off the wagon, i.e., they are former vegetarians.

They have traded wheat grass for grass fed beef.  Some are just chowing down on commercial greasy burgers and fries, ribs, filet mignon, rib eye, sirloin, bacon cheese burgers, pork chops, ham, you name it.  They crave it.  But I digress.

Back to the website article:  If you want to ensure that your cattle were grass-fed, look for the "USDA Process Verified" label.  That means they were not fed any grain or grain by-products, except for perhaps cow milk, until slaughter.  Apparently that USDA certification is pricey, so many small farmers / ranchers cannot afford it.  There may be some nice grass fed beef in the butcher shop that simply lacks certification.  Tough decision-making for those fallen vegetarians, omnivores, and carnivores -- save a buck or buy USDA certified?

It is not clear whether that USDA grass-fed beef has antibiotics or hormones.  But at least the cattle got to eat grass and hopefully enjoy some nice outdoor grazing in a pastoral environment.  I suppose if demand increases, they will create the grass-fed feed lot.  The concept boggles my mind.

I do not crave meat.  I am thinking about whether I have enough greens in the fridge to get me through tomorrow.  That head of butter lettuce might not be big enough, but I have a good supply of organic celery to fall back on.  I also have cucumbers, carrots, mangoes, nectarines, beets, a green bell pepper, ginger from Hawaii, bananas, blueberries, apples, almonds, one little avocado, and a handful of cherries. What have you got?  Got beef?

Raw veganly yours,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011  P.S. check out this excellent link for raw vegan info, FREE smoothie recipes e-Book, videos, and a super 7 Day Raw Food Challenge and 10 Day Juice Feast.  I have learned so much from this info. 
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It Rained

It finally rained.  Last evening, after about 90 days of no rain, it rained for about 15 minutes.  It was a heavy downpour -- enough to  overflow the gutters.  This morning I got out the ladder and climbed up onto the roof to clean out the gutters.  I also trimmed the trees that were growing over the edge of the roof and dropping leaves into the gutters.  There are piles of tree trimmings around the house.

Then, late this afternoon, the wind swept in and blew over anything light such as plastic watering cans and buckets, folding patio chairs, a wooden bird house, and pieces of wood propped up against the wall.  Heavy rain followed the wind.  The rain did not fall vertically as it did yesterday.  It blew in horizontally.  It was the sort of rain that is so heavy you hear it if you are in the house.  It sounds almost like hail even though it is only rain.

The wind blew and the rain fell hard.  There was some thunder.  The TV weatherman reported over 25 lightening strikes in the area within a 15 minute period.  Then, after about a half hour, the storm moved on.  A while later the sun came out and dried most of the puddles.  As the song says, "the skies are not cloudy all day."

The smell of moist earth and humidity in the air linger into the night.  The temperature has dropped to  75 degrees.  The sky is mostly cloudy for the night of July 4th.  Monsoon is officially here yet the Independence Day festivities will continue, as scheduled, after dark.  I can hear the sound of fireworks in the distance.  As I look toward town I can see a fireworks display.  The lollypop ruby red fireworks are the most vibrant color against the black sky.  There is a slight drizzle and a light breeze.  The rain is so light I can stand outside and the breeze nearly dries all the rain as it falls.  The fireworks show is about 50 minutes long.  By the end of the show, the rain has stopped.  Sweet dreams.  Sleep well.

God Bless America and God Bless you all,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C.  (c)2011

112 Degrees (F.) and 4 Percent Humidity

Howdy folks,
Today, as I write this, the temperature is 112 degrees (Fahrenheit).  The humidity is 4 percent.  It's hot and it's dry.  The forecast is ten percent chance of rain by end of the week.  Not very good odds.  The odds go up to twenty percent chance of rain during the weekend.  Do I think it will rain?  Let me put it this way:  I'm not running to Las Vegas to place a bet on it.

The nighttime low temperatures hover around 80 degrees.  Life in the Southwest Desert goes on at a slower pace.  Cars roll down the street at a measured distance from each other.  There is significantly less traffic this time of year because the snowbirds, i.e., folks who leave this climate for homes up north where the summers are cooler, are gone.  Year round residents who can afford a vacation may leave for the shores of California, a visit to out of town friends or relatives, and high altitudes or latitudes.  Folks with limited budgets and poor cooling systems frequent movie theaters, indoor shopping malls, or eateries where they can linger in the commercial air conditioning.  An air conditioned vehicle is welcome relief from the heat.

Ice water is the drink of choice in the heat of the day.  I have heard the crabby critique that ice water is not good for digestion, but as a stand alone drink, it hits the spot when you are working in the heat.  Drink early; drink often.  You will probably be sweating more than usual and need to be well hydrated.

I see folks from Northern countries frequent this blog.  I wonder why they are fascinated with the Southwest Desert.  I know why I am fascinated by the Southwest Desert.  It is a unique environment with unusual flora and hearty fauna.  The desert teaches you to use your resources wisely and be grateful for all you have.  The desert environment can be harsh in the summer with severe heat and sudden monsoons.  But it can be pleasant at different times of day and night and different seasons.  The heat of the summer has a dreamlike quality.  We are lucky to have water, transportation, and cooling systems.  We are lucky to have shade, refrigeration and freezers for foods, and experts to repair and maintain the systems and appliances.

If I had a solar car I could park in the sun, and the sun could charge the car's battery, and the car could run off of that charge, it would be efficient for me .  If the roof of my house could store solar energy like a battery, and power my appliances and lights, that would be real progress.  We were made for solar out here.  Where are the innovators, inventors, and affordable prototypes.  Seems only rich folks and government buildings can afford solar panels.  The heck with retrofitting, just build all the new structures with state of the art solar collectors.  When will the roof of my car be a solar collector?  This may not work for folks in Seattle, but it would be of interest to me.

I AM
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011 













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