Russians Reading Southwest Desert Blogger?

Who do so many Russians read Southwest Desert Blogger?  Is there a Russian fascination with the Southwest Desert or something else? 

As of the 2002 Russian Census over 142 million respondents claimed to be Russian citizens.  Dual citizenship was claimed by about 44,000 respondents.  Over a million respondents claimed to be foreign citizens and 400,000 claimed to be "stateless" persons.

Of a recorded resident population of over 145 million, there are nearly 10 million more women than men.  Seventy-three percent of the population is urban.  So, who is on the internet and why?

There are nearly 7 million English speakers in Russia.  They may also read and write English, but the level of competence is unknown.  Children are presumed to speak a language if their parents speak it, so that 7 million likely includes some kids.  Incidentally, 98.3 percent of Russian citizens claim to be competent in Russian.

The most recent Census in the United States of America was the 2010 Census.  The 2010 Census was our twenty-third US Census.  As mandated in our Constitution, we conduct a Census every 10 years.  The first US Census was in 1790.

As of National Census Day, April 1, 2010 (no joke), the population of the US was counted as 308,745,538.  The most populous state is California.  The city with the greatest population is New York City.

So why all the Southwest Desert Blogger readers from Russia?  Let me know.  Is it your interest in my Omega vertical VRT 350 juicer foibles? (see previous blogs) Is it a fascination with the wild west?  Is this blog featured on some site you frequent?  Where did you discover Southwest Desert Blogger?
(http://yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=southwestdesertblogger.blogspot.com , or domar.ru ) Are you messing with the system?  Trying to figure out whether my cookies are edible or not?  Trying to figure out whether driving out here is a hard drive?  Do we have to have a medical degree to have an operating system?  Are we wired or wireless?  Do I have a mouse or a rat's nest?  Do we speak Russian?  Da?  Niet?  You've got to figure we habla (hablamos) some Espanol because we are in the Southwest Desert.

Looking for answers without any clues,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011

Gettin' a Might Chilly

The nights and early mornings have been Southwest Desert cold.  It has been down to the low 40s (F.) lately.  Of course, the sun warms it up during the day, but at 7:00 am I am wearing a jacket, hat, and gloves to be comfortable.  That is not a complaint -- just the weather report.

We are all looking forward to the Thanksgiving Day holiday next Thursday.

For those of you outside the USA, Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks for all we have.  Traditionally, we have a large meal consisting of turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes or yams, maybe some white potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie for desert.  Most of these foods are native to the Americas.  Regions and families may have their additional traditional foods, but those are the basics.  I guess we will have to add a large salad for the raw food folks.  I have heard of vegetarians who prepare baked stuffed squash as their traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  That sounds good, too.

There are big Thanksgiving Day parades in several major cities.  I would judge the most grand of them all to be the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.  It features marching bands from all over the US, famous singers, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, brief scenes from Broadway musicals, floats, and giant balloons in the parade.  It is about 3 hours long.  There were some years the weather was New York cold for the parade.  In 1957 there was heavy rain.  The hat of the giant Popeye the Sailor  balloon filled with rain water and the balloon poured water on the crowd.  We are wishing all the parade participants, and the million or so who view the parade live, sunny and mild weather this Thanksgiving.

The Macy's parade, and a few others, are broadcast on network TV.  The first TV broadcast of the Macy's Day Parade (as it is now often called) was an experimental broadcast in 1939.  I look forward to seeing at least some of the Macy's parade on TV.  I always watch the beginning to see the Broadway musicals and Rockettes.

The idea of a Thanksgiving Day Parade is said to have originated in the 1920s.  Macy's store employees and professional entertainers marched in Manhattan along with live animals borrowed from the zoo, floats, and vivid costumes.  Large balloons replaced the live animals in 1927.  The first parade was a Christmas parade, with Santa Clause, then as now, as the finale.  The parade morphed into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade over time and has continued every year except for 1942-1944. 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is not as commercialized as Christmas, yet has the important component of remembering to give thanks.  What have you got to be grateful for?  A computer?  The use of someone else's computer?  Food, shelter, clothing?  A job?  Friends?  Relatives?  Skills, talents, abilities?  The senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, 6th sense, etc.)?  Make your list.  See how long you can make it.  Do you have some warm, cozy socks, slippers, robe?  A pet?  A juicer, blender, TV?  Don't forget to thank the farmers who grew the food, the truckers who transported it, the store that sold it to you.  Have gratitude for the inventors of the systems, tools, and vehicles we use, and even your blanket, pillow, and chair.  It is not trite to be grateful for the small things.  It has been said that gratitude is an invitation for more goodness to manifest in your life.  I trust it will be so. 

Gratefully,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011

Got Javalina?

"What in the heck is a Javalina?" you may be thinking.  It is a critter that looks like a feral pig or wild boar with coarse black, gray, and brown hair and a faint white collar in the winter coat, a pink snout, and hooves.  Take a look at this photo on the right.  I had wanted to get photos of Javalina for you, but they are predominately nocturnal creatures.  However, they do sometimes come out during the day, especially if the weather is cool.
Today the temperatures dropped into the mid 40s (Fahrenheit) and it rained this morning.  It is mighty cool -- the desert dwellers might even say it is downright cold.  When the sun came out after the rain, I looked out the window, and there were the Javalina.
They like to eat plants.  Prickly pear is said to be one of their favorites. This herd of Javalina was feeding on the yellow fruit of a barrel cactus.  See the next photos.

There are 5 Javalina in this photo, including the baby. Can you spot them all?

See that pink snout! 

The Javalina blend in with the background environment perfectly.  

                                           

An adult Javalina can weigh up to 60 pounds and stands 19 inches tall.  They can be aggressive and have been known to bite humans.  They will defend their territory, especially if they are eating or have young Javalina with them.

Years ago I saw a herd of Javalina eating some fancy flowers at night.  Their eyes glowed red in the headlights of my vehicle.  They would not leave those tender, store bought, hand watered flowers until they had their fill.

I have also seen Javalina eat bird seed blocks and knock over trash cans to feast on vegetable pulp from the juicer!  The only time they bothered to knock over my can to get the pulp was when I juiced some garlic in my vegetable juice.  They ate all the pulp, then left, but they would not leave until they had finished every morsel of pulp.  I could not get into my gate until they left.  The largest one defended the area in front of the gate while the others finished eating.  There were young ones, so I dared not cross until they left.

Javalina have a strong, musty smell.  Sometimes you can smell them after they have been in an area.  It is said they identify members of their herd by smell.  Their eyesight is poor.  Loud noise will startle them.  Here are two more photos:

This was the first of the herd to spot the yellow cactus fruit.

 I've got to get out and get some chores done now while there is still some sun.  The weather folks say it could get near freezing tonight. You Southwest Desert Blogger blog readers up in Russia and Latvia stayin' warm?

I AM stayin' warm as I can,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c) 2011

Got Sprouts?

I grew some red lentil sprouts in a jar.  I covered the open end of the jar with cheese cloth fastened around the jar's rim with a snug fitting rubber band.  First I soaked a few tablespoons of seeds overnight in a generous amount of water, drained them through the cheese cloth in the morning, rinsed and drained them again, and covered the jar with a dish towel to keep the seeds dark until they sprouted.  Rinse and drain well at least twice a day.  Within 3 days the jar is full of beautiful lentil sprouts.  Rinse before use and throw away any lentils that do not sprout.  Store well drained, unused lentils in the refrigerator.  Use them in a day or two.  Their taste is mild.  I sprinkle them over a salad.  If they start to get a bad smell or unusual consistency, throw them away!  I make small quantities and always use mine quickly enough to avoid waste. 

Lentil Sprouts growing in a jar -- you can see some roots and tiny pale leaves

 lentil sprouts growing in a pint jar with cheese cloth fastened over the opening

The salad consists of a base of tender leaf lettuce, a small amount of thinly sliced cucumber, one half gala apple diced with skin, a sprinkle of lentil sprouts, a bit of oil (I use an unfiltered, highest lignan, organic flax seed oil -- use what you like) and a light sprinkle of pink salt.  Layer ingredients in the order listed.  Of course you can use any dressing and add vegetables you like.  Enjoy!

The Salad with Red Lentil Sprouts

As you have noticed, the red lentils are more of a pale orange color.  Nevertheless, they add interesting color, shape, and texture to a salad.
Lentil sprouts are also good sprinkled over soup or stew.  They are nice in a broth or miso soup.
Sprouts are said to have much more nutrition and are easier to digest than the un-sprouted seeds.

On another subject: today I saw the license plate "I AM" -- I had a fine day.
I AM
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c)2011

Problems with the Omega VRT350HD Continue

This morning I tried straining the juice from the Omega VRT350HD vertical juicer.  The 2 ounces of kale juice produced so much foam it nearly covered most of the 5 inch strainer.  I chose to just juice 24 ounces of vegetable juice and strain the juice afterward.  The juice contained kale, carrots, celery, and a small amount of apple and cucumber.  Here are some photos of the results.
Notice the celery strings on the rim of the strainer.
These strings, and more, were in the juice!
There are many more strings in the pulp.

Close-up of pulp after I pushed out much of the juice with the back of a spoon.  Look closely and notice more celery strings throughout the pulp.  This pulp also contains carrot and apple.  The green kale material, which Omega says the 350HD does the best job of juicing, predominates this pulp although it was less than 10 percent of the total juice.

Select Celery Strings in the Omega 350HD juice:  Up to 2 inches long!

 Notice some celery strings from the juice in the photo on the right.  And yes Omega, I did cut the celery into quarters prior to juicing.  This celery was not the most stringy variety I have ever purchased.  It's strings were average.  This would have juiced very well in my 16 year old centrifugal juicer.  The old juicer produced a sweeter, pulp-free juice in less time, with no strings and fewer parts to wash.  Omega's answer to the problem of the large quantity (more than photographed) of strings in the juice:  it might be a defective auger.  This is the second auger!  I will try the third auger when it arrives and let you know whether things improve.  I am developing a new string theory.

So far, my experience with the Omega VRT350HD vertical juicer has been a strain.  And no, this is not pulp fiction.

With apologies for the puns,
Southwest Desert Blogger   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.

If you want to learn more about the 10 day juice fast (also see my September 2011 posts), the 7 day raw food challenge (see my July 2011 posts), or just want a free eBook with vegan juice and smoothie recipes and informative blog /videos link to:http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1383344
Be happy!
C. (c)2011