Friday, April 20, 2012

On a slope

This past week I acknowledged the  miracle of vitamins which until recently I had ignored or was simply oblivious to. I now take a daily portion of vitamin D, co enzyme q 10, ginko (recommended by a friend) and as soon as I can get around to it – I’ll add a calcium compound. He, my husband takes roughly the same as I do plus one of the B’s - which facilitates the necessary illusion - that of becoming healthier and wiser - a lovely experience for both of us.
Should I continue? The other revelation – quite marvelous and stimulating – has to do with schmaltz grebe - a yiddishism for chicken fat - until recently a dietary no-no, verboten. Well it turns out that all this schmaltz or fat of any kind - butter, eggs, olive oil,  avocado (v high in fat), you name it, is good for us even trans fat!  Forget the pecking order, it's all good. So that old saying that 'he should be so lucky as to bathe in a barrel of schmaltz grebe', still holds!
But oh weep alas for the fate of refined flour and cheap corn syrup, which receives a resounding thumbs down  in Good Calories Bad Calories – 600 pages of a painstaking, technical thoroughness sparing of no detail that might cause ones eyes to glaze over (perhaps mine) - or in a shorter version Good Calories Bad Calories for Dummies. Dummies versions are fine for me, I can latch on to one or two phrases and let my imagination do the rest.


Trees on a farm off Mineral Springs Road
oil on pre gessoed panel 16"x12"
early March
Marcia Cohen LaBelle ©2012

8 comments:

  1. Love this (Muir love). I am driving through it (spring forests) oohing and ahhing and going crazy, and here you are painting it. I marvel at you! I do. Beautiful. (As a non-fan of the text message, I am a fan of upper and lower case, plus full words.)

    Love (upper case variety)

    Barbara

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    1. That does not mean I don't love e.e. and U.
      I do and love this painting, and your discussion of chicken fat. The obsession with nutrition was laced into me with plenty of chicken fat at my mother's knee. Forgive mu lengthy prose -- I'm in a hotel in Windsor.

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  2. That should read forgive my lengthy prose. Sorry.
    Love,
    Moo

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  3. Well thank you, sweet Barbara!!!
    You are a sweetie (as in the good, natural kind of course) and I love it that I can hardly get a word in edgewise - well I thought you probably weren't so taken with me bleating and blethering on about vitamins which don't have a whole lot to do with the visual but then I've decided that a sizable chunk/portion of my brain is not strictly visual at all and I do derive a certain kind of perverse pleasure now from taking all these multi colored placebo/vitamins and nagging D to take his. But you're right - the diet thing is drilled into us almost to the point of neurotic making if one lets it.
    My gosh you're in Windsor - that's to fetch the Sam, I take it! Wow you are très busy!!!!

    Love, Marcia

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  4. This painting has intrigue and wonder. Really beautiful! I would imagine that there is a magical quality, too, when viewed from a short distance in its presence.

    I "looked inside" the book you mention at Amazon and found what I read fascinating. Must go to bookstore--look some more. Don't even get me started on talking about diet and supplements! I've got a boat load of supplements and am sorting out which ones are really necessary and which are possibly not.

    I will say this about that, I've got great numbers from my most recent blood tests. I believe this is so from drinking artichoke tea (and taking artichoke tablets), having a little milk thistle regularly (good things for one's liver), and from taking a combination of Alpha Lipoic Acid/Acetyl L-carnitine.

    Of course, exercise, meditation and painting probably do a lot too!

    Looking forward to more of your gorgeous work.

    p. s. I'm mostly vegetarian these days, so I guess I can't really "bathe in a barrel of schmaltz grebe'." ;-)

    And, I've been happily gluten/wheat, cheap corn syrup free for three years now. It's a good thing.

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    1. I know I should stop Marcia. It's three in the morning, but I'm on a travel high. I did learn Vitamin D from our esteemed friend in Tucson, and must say it does help mood! And then some. As mood is an important indicator of well being I'm a convert. And it's important for artists to be well so they can be happy and produce.

      Love,

      Barbara
      Shout out to Tucson too!

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  5. Thank you for your lovely comment and extremely funny remarks about schmaltz grebe.- laughter is good for the soul too!

    Melinda if you get hold of a copy of Taube’s book I’ll try to have a stab at reading it too. I have an outsider’s deep respect and awe of Science. That will be my exercise, my stretch as it were.
    Of course I agree that with you that vitamins and supplements alone are not enough. The other stuff is equally imperative – meditation – a big yes, exercise - absolutely and painting – any kind of art making for that matter – that’s definitely the life line!
    Thank you so much for taking the time to reflect on this! I've put artichoke tea on my list - including milk thistle - very curious about that.

    À bien tôt,
    xo, Marcia

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    1. Barbara, don't stop. I love it when you carry on. But oh - three o'clock in the morning! but maybe you need your sleep too!
      That said, discussion is always a good thing whatever time of day or night - it gets the gray matter moving.
      So... a shout out to both of you for your wonderful comments and input!
      Love, Marcia

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