Per Wikipedia, GREEN building, also known as green construction or sustainable building, is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction.
Building GREEN is about a relationship between a building and its occupants and the world around them. It's a process that encourages the conservation of energy and natural resources to promote a healthy environment.
Reasons for "going green" have three main benefits: Environmental, Economic, and Social:
The Environmental issues involve using energy, water and other resources more efficiently. It also helps protect the health of the building's occupants and makes them more productive. Finally, it reduces pollution, waste and environmental degradation.
The Economic benefits include lower utility bills, tax incentives, mortgage incentives, and higher resale values on real property. In addition to lowering utility bills, it might reduce operating costs. There is also the potential of expanding the market for green products.
The Social aspects may improve the health of building occupants as well as an enhanced aesthetic appeal. It may also limit stain on infrastructure. Recent studies indicate an increasing demand and importance on GREEN.
Since the real estate market appears to be placing more importance on GREEN and recent studies indicate an increasing demand for GREEN buildings, it is good to know what to look for and how it weighs in comparison to value. Studies have also indicated a higher value for a GREEN building than a comparable property that is not GREEN.
As part of my Continuing Education as a General Certified Appraiser, I completed a course study sponsored by Lowman & Co in March 2011 on how to appraise GREEN buildings. First and foremost are the currently established standards/certifications used to evaluate GREEN buildings.
The only established standard to date is the GREEN Building Standard (2008) ANSI approved ICC-700-2008. www.nahbrc.org/technical/standards. This Standard, formerly guidelines, defines GREEN buildings for single and multi-family homes, residential remodeling and site development projects yet still allows for the flexibility necessary for regionally-appropriate best GREEN practices. A related site is the National Green Building Program www.nahbgreen.org.
There are four Certifications:
1. HERS Index (Home Energy Rating System) which is a scoring system created by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) www.natresnet.org. A HERS index of 100 represents the energy use of the "American Standard Building" and an Index of 0 (zero) indicates that the proposed building uses no net purchased energy (a zero energy building). The lower the home's HERS Index, the more energy efficient is the home. A one point reduction in the HERS Index equates to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS reference home. Example: If a home has a HERS Index of 70, it would be 30% more efficient than a HERS reference home.
2. LEED Scorecard was created to rate the GREENness of a building. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was created in 1991 and is recognized as a leader among GREEN professionals. www.usgbc.org/LEED/homes. A scoring system is known as "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" (LEED). It is a voluntary guideline for developing high-performance sustainable buildings. It is a very detailed report and likely too costly for residential properties; can range from a few thousand dollars to $10,000 or more. Some benefits of getting a building LEED certified include a possible increase in value, may attract more potential buyers, and possible tax breaks, expedited permitting, etc. The GREEN level of the building (Basic, Silver, Gold, Platinum) is determined by earned points in each of six categories.
3. The Energy Performance Score (EPS) is a calculation derived after having done an energy audit of the home. This is done by the EPS auditor. Electricity consumption is based on kilowatt-hour (kWh), while natural gas uses therms and heating oil or propane may be based on gallons.
4. The Energy Star Rating is an international standard indicating energy efficient products. It was developed in 1992 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attempting to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission by power plants. Products caring the Energy Star logo use 20-30% less energy than required by federal standards. www.energystar.gov
As an appraiser determining market value on a property from a GREEN perspective, the following building components are considered as Market Desirable Items and are weighted in importance:
Insulation (18%)
Tankless Water Heater (18%)
Energy Star Appliances (13%)
Air-tight Construction (pre-engineered w/insulation in between) (11%)
Insulated Foundation, Walls, Floors (10%)
HVAC Energy Star (8%)
Fixtures such as stools, faucets, etc.(8%)
Windows Energy Star (8%)
Structural Insulated Panels (6%)
Doors (6%)
The information I have learned in this course study is helpful in my current job as a real estate appraiser as I know what to look for in newer construction and in remodeled buildings and the building component weight in the overall value. I am also very interested in what I have learned so as to make the best decisions when it comes to remodeling my personal house for retirement. I want to reduce energy costs as much as possible when there will be a fixed income. There is also a possibility that I may want to work part time in my retirement years and this field offers many opportunities that would allow me to make an income specializing in an area that I find more interesting.
GREEN Websites:
Building America: www.buildingamerica.gov
Builders Challenge: www.buildingamerica.gov/challenge
State Incentives for Renewable Energy: www.desireusa.org
Institute of Green Professionals: www.instituteofgreenprofessionals.org
NAR Green Resource Council: greenresourcecouncil.org
US Green Building Council: www.usgbc.org
US Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/greenbuilding
US Dept of Energy: www.energy.gov
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Book Review of "Prague in Black" by Chad Bryant
I will begin with the book's own back cover review first and a brief summary of the Contents found in the front along with my thoughts. The rest will be how I feel it relates to my genealogy.
The full name of the book is "Prague in Black - Nazi Rule and Czech Nationalism." by Chad Bryant. Copyright 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Printed in the United States of America by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England www.hup.harvard.edu. Chad Bryant is Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Winner of the Hans Rosenberg Prize, Conference Group for Central European History
Honorable Mention, Wayne S. Vucinich Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
"Chad Bryant's fine book sheds much light on why, in the Czech land, the national struggle is over and why Central Europe is no longer such a wonderful mosaic of people and cultures." - Istvan Deak, English Historical Review
"Bryant writes well about misery in the [Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]-about, in particular, the deadly essay of the Germans and their local marionettes to apply madcap ethnic and national concepts to what had long been a hopelessly complex checkerboard of identities." - Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Bryant's book is best at synthesizing the development of policies and laws and summarizing changing popular attitudes over the period 1939 through 1947 and well deserves a wide English-reading audience for that." - Gary B. Cohen, Slavic Review
"As the first English-language study of the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia in thirty years, Prague in Black represents an important contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of Nazi rule in eastern Europe and to the history of nationalism more generally." - Tara Zahra, Central European History
In September 1938, the Munich Agreement delivered the Sudetenland to Germany. Six Months later, Hitler's troops marched unopposed into Prague and established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravoa - the first non-German territory to be occupied by Nazi Germany. Although Czechs outnumbered Germans thirty to one, Nazi leaders were determined to make the region entirely German. Czech leaders were even more determined to make it entirely Czech.
The book begins with A Note on Place-Names which briefly addresses the differences between two names as spoken between Czech and Germans referring to the same place. Near the end of the book, is a more detail reference as well as a couple pages of Abbreviations that are used throughout the book. Also near the end of the book are nearly 100 pages of source references. There are also Archival Sources, Acknowledgments, and Index on the last 10 pages.
The Illustrations includes three maps of the boundary changes from 1930, 1942, and 1949 as well as the administrative districts There are also about a dozen photos reproduced of people and events.
The Introduction covers much detail about the historical background and perspectives that led to the opening Hitler needed on March 10, 1939. What I found most interesting was the term" amphibians." It was a term used by 19th century patriots and the social anthropologists [Protectorate's] to refer to people who could switch public nationalities or to people whose nationality was unclear. Labeling individuals as members of one or other nation, or race, was a requirement of nation-building. It created the most documentation and was most confusing for officials because of an array of often contradictory criteria.
Amphibians expose the absurdity of reducing human diversity to simple nations, of placing individuals who were more than just Czechs and Germans into neat categories. Their sheer numbers aside, amphibians are also important for what they represent - the right and ability to chose a public nationality that existed in principle, if not always practice, before 1938.
In the Contents, there are six chapters:
1. A Hopelessly Mixed People - In this chapter, are the sad details of the events in Czechoslovakia under their president, Emil Hacha after March 14, 1939 in the New State. The first half of the year was described as one of the nation's finest moments where Czech's drew from practices borrowed from the past, acted nationally with an energy and unity rarely seen after WWI. In great detail is explained how the Nazi authorities beat them down with their own nationality from within until the German national movement ascended.
2. The Reich Way of Thinking - I found this chapter to be very confusing yet it carefully laid out the progress of the Nazi leaders and their forced ways as well as organized underground resistance. It was confusing to me because it was hard for me to see any systematic plan; yet it was there.
3. Plans to Make the Czechs German - This chapter is where the confusing aspects turn quickly to nausea when Hitler's Mein Kampf ideas are played out beginning in Bohemia and Moravia. The idea was the complete expulsion of all Czechs from the country to make room for Germans. Because there were not enough Germans to fill the land and have skills to run the successful Czech economy, the politics of Germanization came into being. Acting Czech meant going hungry. Resistance took an interesting aspect in the form of jokes to cope. I have to smile at this survival humor.
4. Heydrich Imposes Racial Order - Now it really gets ugly under Reinhard Heydrich who ...pushed Nazi rule toward radical "solutions" to various "problems," toward the realization of vague goals laid down by his only superiors in the Reich: Himmler and Hitler. Heydrich emerged. In May, Hitler got mad at an assassination attempt that was made on Heydrich and ordered the execution of 10,000 Czechs. In June, Heydrich died from his wounds and Hitler ordered the village of Lidice destroyed, then all adults in the village of Lezaky. Benes was the longtime foreign minister of Czechoslovakia and in 1938 gave the order for Czechoslovak troops to stand down when he found himself outmaneuvered at Munich. When Benes returned in 1945, he found an economy and society that had been utterly transformed, and he found a "nation" that he barely knew or wanted to understand. What they shared was an overriding desire to expel all Germans from Czechoslovakia.
5. Surrounded by War, Living in Peace - The German military misfortunes beginning in the spring of 1943 required that Germanization plans be put on hold. The Czech workers were well-paid and coddled, yet cowed, because they were invaluable at producing tanks, artillery and other armaments. Resistance meant choosing a worthless death over embarrassing complacency. Yet the Czechs affirmed their identities more and more by spreading rumors and telling jokes creating a moral universe in which acting nationally was the highest good. These jokes were used to make sense of a confusing situation while providing shared comic relief. During the later part of 1944, the Soviets come into the picture during an uprising in Slovakia where 15-19,000 defenseless and unarmed Slovaks were killed. They happened to be in the middle of the Allied Soviet east forces meeting the Nazi's from the west. Something evolved after this time that pulled what was left of the Czechoslovakian nation towards the Soviets and it likely was because their hatred of the Germans.
6. All the Germans Must Go - Late 1943, the London-exiled Czechoslovakian "President" Benes, announced he signed a treaty between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. In it was pledged to fight Germany together and have economic relationships after the war while the Soviets promise to respect the sovereignty and independence of Czechoslovakia. The plan was clear to expel all Germans and Slovak-Hungarians. Churchill and Roosevelt gave vague support on the expulsion plans. During the period known as the "Wild Transfer" 19-30,000 Germans died and between 600-900,000 were driven from Czechoslovakia. There were beatings, rapes and murders during this chaos when passions and opportunism was unchecked. The violence had Stalin's blessing and the new Czechoslovakian government in power pardoned vigilantes and robbers. Then there was the period known as the "Organized Transfer." The Big Three (Stalin, Truman, Churchill) divided Germany into four zones under the control of the three Allies and France. The German population transfer would be orderly and humane. At this point, the Czechoslovak leaders were led by the Communists.
The Conclusion lays out a comparison between what six years of Nazi rule did to the Czechoslovakians and then what the Czechoslovakians did to the Germans. The lessons learned showed that raw power and violence won over fundamentally democratic values of negotiation and compromise...violence could best achieve political gains. The vacuum created allowed the Communist Party to win 38% of the vote in 1946 election. Communist ideology provided a rational interpretation of the occupation years; a grandiose program for a brand-new world in which everyone would find his place. Of course, they were backed by the Soviet Union. Even so, 60% of Czech voters did not choose the Communists. It wasn't until actions made in 1947 did larger geopolitical forces come into play. The U.S administration announced the Truman Doctrine which granted Greece and Turkey aid to fight Communists insurgents, thus initiating a foreign policy strategy that would reign until 1989 - the "containment" of Communist rule around the world. Then they announced the Marshall Plan for Economic Recovery where Stalin, Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European governments politely refused the offer of help. The Iron Curtain had come down.
In many ways Nazi rule had made the Communists' task easier. Nazi rule had created an economy largely coordinated by the state and empowered the working class. It had destroyed civil and political society, which emerged weak and deformed after 1945. It had created citizens practiced in the art of denunciation. The occupation years had fostered public enthusiasm for socialism and the Soviet Union. The occupation experience had discredited the past, left a value system in disarray, and encouraged hateful political rhetoric. Nazi rule in the Bohemian lands had not necessarily led to the establishment of Communist rule, but it certainly gave it a good start.
The occupation likely produced cowards as well as heroes. Young people who were growing up during this time likely had inverted morals where evil was often shown to be more powerful than the truth. Today, however, there is a difference as 1989 marked the return of confrontations with diversity, the return of debates over what it means to be Czech, and the return of questions as to who has authority over the construction of identity. Through travel and communication with other countries, many Czechs have absorbed foreign ideas, especially the younger ones.
I found this book to be an informative source that will be helpful in genealogy work I plan to increase in my retirement years. It will help me understand the world my parents lived in when they left Czechoslovakia and their motivation to became U.S. citizens.
I know my mother came over in 1939 as a 21-year old single woman born near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. She had a large family that had plenty of land to farm at the time she left. My mother went back only once to visit her family (1974). I have family tree information that goes back six generations now. I have a good relationship with an English-speaking relative in Slovakia that I hope to increase as time becomes available in my retirement.
I am at a standstill with my father's people. I know my father came over in 1932 when he was 16 years old; born in Vienna, Austria during WWI (1916). He was 8 years old when Hitler's Mein Kampf was commonly given to newly married German couples as a wedding gift. My father was born to a teenage single woman in Bohemia and he had cerebral palsy from birth. I was told he went to boarding schools. His mother came to the U.S. shortly after his birth and lived as a single woman until he was 16. She married in 1932 and her new husband adopted my father. I also heard that my father's family was wealthy and political. I would like to find out their story.
The full name of the book is "Prague in Black - Nazi Rule and Czech Nationalism." by Chad Bryant. Copyright 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Printed in the United States of America by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England www.hup.harvard.edu. Chad Bryant is Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Winner of the Hans Rosenberg Prize, Conference Group for Central European History
Honorable Mention, Wayne S. Vucinich Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
"Chad Bryant's fine book sheds much light on why, in the Czech land, the national struggle is over and why Central Europe is no longer such a wonderful mosaic of people and cultures." - Istvan Deak, English Historical Review
"Bryant writes well about misery in the [Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]-about, in particular, the deadly essay of the Germans and their local marionettes to apply madcap ethnic and national concepts to what had long been a hopelessly complex checkerboard of identities." - Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"Bryant's book is best at synthesizing the development of policies and laws and summarizing changing popular attitudes over the period 1939 through 1947 and well deserves a wide English-reading audience for that." - Gary B. Cohen, Slavic Review
"As the first English-language study of the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia in thirty years, Prague in Black represents an important contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of Nazi rule in eastern Europe and to the history of nationalism more generally." - Tara Zahra, Central European History
In September 1938, the Munich Agreement delivered the Sudetenland to Germany. Six Months later, Hitler's troops marched unopposed into Prague and established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravoa - the first non-German territory to be occupied by Nazi Germany. Although Czechs outnumbered Germans thirty to one, Nazi leaders were determined to make the region entirely German. Czech leaders were even more determined to make it entirely Czech.
The book begins with A Note on Place-Names which briefly addresses the differences between two names as spoken between Czech and Germans referring to the same place. Near the end of the book, is a more detail reference as well as a couple pages of Abbreviations that are used throughout the book. Also near the end of the book are nearly 100 pages of source references. There are also Archival Sources, Acknowledgments, and Index on the last 10 pages.
The Illustrations includes three maps of the boundary changes from 1930, 1942, and 1949 as well as the administrative districts There are also about a dozen photos reproduced of people and events.
The Introduction covers much detail about the historical background and perspectives that led to the opening Hitler needed on March 10, 1939. What I found most interesting was the term" amphibians." It was a term used by 19th century patriots and the social anthropologists [Protectorate's] to refer to people who could switch public nationalities or to people whose nationality was unclear. Labeling individuals as members of one or other nation, or race, was a requirement of nation-building. It created the most documentation and was most confusing for officials because of an array of often contradictory criteria.
Amphibians expose the absurdity of reducing human diversity to simple nations, of placing individuals who were more than just Czechs and Germans into neat categories. Their sheer numbers aside, amphibians are also important for what they represent - the right and ability to chose a public nationality that existed in principle, if not always practice, before 1938.
In the Contents, there are six chapters:
1. A Hopelessly Mixed People - In this chapter, are the sad details of the events in Czechoslovakia under their president, Emil Hacha after March 14, 1939 in the New State. The first half of the year was described as one of the nation's finest moments where Czech's drew from practices borrowed from the past, acted nationally with an energy and unity rarely seen after WWI. In great detail is explained how the Nazi authorities beat them down with their own nationality from within until the German national movement ascended.
2. The Reich Way of Thinking - I found this chapter to be very confusing yet it carefully laid out the progress of the Nazi leaders and their forced ways as well as organized underground resistance. It was confusing to me because it was hard for me to see any systematic plan; yet it was there.
3. Plans to Make the Czechs German - This chapter is where the confusing aspects turn quickly to nausea when Hitler's Mein Kampf ideas are played out beginning in Bohemia and Moravia. The idea was the complete expulsion of all Czechs from the country to make room for Germans. Because there were not enough Germans to fill the land and have skills to run the successful Czech economy, the politics of Germanization came into being. Acting Czech meant going hungry. Resistance took an interesting aspect in the form of jokes to cope. I have to smile at this survival humor.
4. Heydrich Imposes Racial Order - Now it really gets ugly under Reinhard Heydrich who ...pushed Nazi rule toward radical "solutions" to various "problems," toward the realization of vague goals laid down by his only superiors in the Reich: Himmler and Hitler. Heydrich emerged. In May, Hitler got mad at an assassination attempt that was made on Heydrich and ordered the execution of 10,000 Czechs. In June, Heydrich died from his wounds and Hitler ordered the village of Lidice destroyed, then all adults in the village of Lezaky. Benes was the longtime foreign minister of Czechoslovakia and in 1938 gave the order for Czechoslovak troops to stand down when he found himself outmaneuvered at Munich. When Benes returned in 1945, he found an economy and society that had been utterly transformed, and he found a "nation" that he barely knew or wanted to understand. What they shared was an overriding desire to expel all Germans from Czechoslovakia.
5. Surrounded by War, Living in Peace - The German military misfortunes beginning in the spring of 1943 required that Germanization plans be put on hold. The Czech workers were well-paid and coddled, yet cowed, because they were invaluable at producing tanks, artillery and other armaments. Resistance meant choosing a worthless death over embarrassing complacency. Yet the Czechs affirmed their identities more and more by spreading rumors and telling jokes creating a moral universe in which acting nationally was the highest good. These jokes were used to make sense of a confusing situation while providing shared comic relief. During the later part of 1944, the Soviets come into the picture during an uprising in Slovakia where 15-19,000 defenseless and unarmed Slovaks were killed. They happened to be in the middle of the Allied Soviet east forces meeting the Nazi's from the west. Something evolved after this time that pulled what was left of the Czechoslovakian nation towards the Soviets and it likely was because their hatred of the Germans.
6. All the Germans Must Go - Late 1943, the London-exiled Czechoslovakian "President" Benes, announced he signed a treaty between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. In it was pledged to fight Germany together and have economic relationships after the war while the Soviets promise to respect the sovereignty and independence of Czechoslovakia. The plan was clear to expel all Germans and Slovak-Hungarians. Churchill and Roosevelt gave vague support on the expulsion plans. During the period known as the "Wild Transfer" 19-30,000 Germans died and between 600-900,000 were driven from Czechoslovakia. There were beatings, rapes and murders during this chaos when passions and opportunism was unchecked. The violence had Stalin's blessing and the new Czechoslovakian government in power pardoned vigilantes and robbers. Then there was the period known as the "Organized Transfer." The Big Three (Stalin, Truman, Churchill) divided Germany into four zones under the control of the three Allies and France. The German population transfer would be orderly and humane. At this point, the Czechoslovak leaders were led by the Communists.
The Conclusion lays out a comparison between what six years of Nazi rule did to the Czechoslovakians and then what the Czechoslovakians did to the Germans. The lessons learned showed that raw power and violence won over fundamentally democratic values of negotiation and compromise...violence could best achieve political gains. The vacuum created allowed the Communist Party to win 38% of the vote in 1946 election. Communist ideology provided a rational interpretation of the occupation years; a grandiose program for a brand-new world in which everyone would find his place. Of course, they were backed by the Soviet Union. Even so, 60% of Czech voters did not choose the Communists. It wasn't until actions made in 1947 did larger geopolitical forces come into play. The U.S administration announced the Truman Doctrine which granted Greece and Turkey aid to fight Communists insurgents, thus initiating a foreign policy strategy that would reign until 1989 - the "containment" of Communist rule around the world. Then they announced the Marshall Plan for Economic Recovery where Stalin, Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European governments politely refused the offer of help. The Iron Curtain had come down.
In many ways Nazi rule had made the Communists' task easier. Nazi rule had created an economy largely coordinated by the state and empowered the working class. It had destroyed civil and political society, which emerged weak and deformed after 1945. It had created citizens practiced in the art of denunciation. The occupation years had fostered public enthusiasm for socialism and the Soviet Union. The occupation experience had discredited the past, left a value system in disarray, and encouraged hateful political rhetoric. Nazi rule in the Bohemian lands had not necessarily led to the establishment of Communist rule, but it certainly gave it a good start.
The occupation likely produced cowards as well as heroes. Young people who were growing up during this time likely had inverted morals where evil was often shown to be more powerful than the truth. Today, however, there is a difference as 1989 marked the return of confrontations with diversity, the return of debates over what it means to be Czech, and the return of questions as to who has authority over the construction of identity. Through travel and communication with other countries, many Czechs have absorbed foreign ideas, especially the younger ones.
I found this book to be an informative source that will be helpful in genealogy work I plan to increase in my retirement years. It will help me understand the world my parents lived in when they left Czechoslovakia and their motivation to became U.S. citizens.
I know my mother came over in 1939 as a 21-year old single woman born near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. She had a large family that had plenty of land to farm at the time she left. My mother went back only once to visit her family (1974). I have family tree information that goes back six generations now. I have a good relationship with an English-speaking relative in Slovakia that I hope to increase as time becomes available in my retirement.
I am at a standstill with my father's people. I know my father came over in 1932 when he was 16 years old; born in Vienna, Austria during WWI (1916). He was 8 years old when Hitler's Mein Kampf was commonly given to newly married German couples as a wedding gift. My father was born to a teenage single woman in Bohemia and he had cerebral palsy from birth. I was told he went to boarding schools. His mother came to the U.S. shortly after his birth and lived as a single woman until he was 16. She married in 1932 and her new husband adopted my father. I also heard that my father's family was wealthy and political. I would like to find out their story.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Diabetes Meal Planning
PLEASE CHECK BACK AT THE END OF 2021 FOR MOST CURRENT MEAL PLAN. YOU CAN TYPE "2021 Diabetes Meal Plan (Updated)" IN THE SEARCH TOOL LOCATED ON THE TOP RIGHT.
When I began, I wrote down everything I ate in a little notebook that I carried with me when I was not home. I counted all the carbs, protein and fats and tried to stay close to my limit for each day. I did this for a whole year. I loved the discipline but it was not sustainable. I can now use my journaling experience for that year along with label reading to help give me confidence in my intuition to know good nutrition and make good choices.
Recently in 2011, I attended a couple more update classes from CMH closer to home in Hermitage. The dietitian reviewed my meal plan and said that counting proteins and fats are no longer considered as important for blood sugar control unless weight loss is wanted. Carb counting is most important for good diabetic management. I have included my most recent carb counting guide below
The Diabetic Meal Plan is a guide using my most typical foods but all foods shown can be replaced with a variety of choices. I read labels on food purchases and from recipes to know and count the right balance of carbs, protein, and fats. The are no foods I cannot have but I choose my carbs carefully so I can afford desserts because I LOVE DESSERTS.
Here are some of my favorite links:
www.diabetes.org
www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/2/nutrition
www.forecast.diabetes.org
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Family Dinner and Iowa Flooding
Keith got some unexpected time off his work that allowed a 4-day weekend. He decided it would be a good opportunity to visit his 84-year old mother in Iowa and good enough weather to ride his Harley. He called me from work about noon and asked if I wanted to come and if I could get some time off work. With no problems getting time off for me, we changed plans to include driving the car, taking Daffney the dog and making reservations at a motel. All came together well.
Keith did the driving and chose a route that would be far enough away from the flooded Missouri River which had been our regular route on I-29 north of Kansas City for many years. Normally it takes no less than 6 hours and usually about 8 hours with stops for peaches and refueling once and a meal. The biggest flood on record happened last Spring and still caused many detours. At least two areas of I-29 near Omaha were still affected. The new route was definitely not what we were used to and much longer; about 9-10 hours and 100 miles more but it was a good trip. We were not in a hurry and got to see some places we had not before such as a HUGE Wind Farm near King City, Missouri - pretty cool.
There were hundreds of modern windmills near King City. The photo shows the new and the old. There was also a large power station nearby that collected the power generated for distribution.
Our 15-year-old dog, Daffney, travels very well. She sleeps a lot and knows when we stop she's expected to do her business...every time. We arrived in Onawa before dark and got settled in for the night. We met Lottie (Keith's Mom) for breakfast and spent all day driving around to see the flood areas. The cemetery at Whiting is where Keith's maternal family is mostly buried and she was worried about how close the flooding came to the cemetery. We spent some time there and the nearby Whiting Harbor where there was once a nice restaurant along the river and is now a campground area.
Keith at the Whiting Cemetery taking notes on Family Genealogy and walking around with Daffney.
Keith did the driving and chose a route that would be far enough away from the flooded Missouri River which had been our regular route on I-29 north of Kansas City for many years. Normally it takes no less than 6 hours and usually about 8 hours with stops for peaches and refueling once and a meal. The biggest flood on record happened last Spring and still caused many detours. At least two areas of I-29 near Omaha were still affected. The new route was definitely not what we were used to and much longer; about 9-10 hours and 100 miles more but it was a good trip. We were not in a hurry and got to see some places we had not before such as a HUGE Wind Farm near King City, Missouri - pretty cool.
There were hundreds of modern windmills near King City. The photo shows the new and the old. There was also a large power station nearby that collected the power generated for distribution.
Our 15-year-old dog, Daffney, travels very well. She sleeps a lot and knows when we stop she's expected to do her business...every time. We arrived in Onawa before dark and got settled in for the night. We met Lottie (Keith's Mom) for breakfast and spent all day driving around to see the flood areas. The cemetery at Whiting is where Keith's maternal family is mostly buried and she was worried about how close the flooding came to the cemetery. We spent some time there and the nearby Whiting Harbor where there was once a nice restaurant along the river and is now a campground area.
The flooding was just beyond the trees but all was well for the cemetery. Later we got closer to the river access at a place Lottie remembered nearby that she had been to at a class reunion. It was once a remote restaurant. Now it is closed for the public as is the campground.
Keith and his Mom next to her old Cadillac at the Whiting Harbor area near Whiting.
Me and Daffney walking along the flooded campground at Whiting Harbor.
There is a bridge near Onawa that connects Iowa with Nebraska known as the Decator Bridge. The only other ways to get across the Missouri River would be in Sioux City, IA and at Blair, NE which are about 85 miles apart now that the Decator Bridge is closed due to the flooding. The old toll bridge was closed last June and likely will not be repaired or replaced anytime in the near future. The closing of this bridge has put much hardship on the local economy as it averaged 2500 cars per day.
We could only get about a half mile from the bridge because of the danger and instability. There were several workers in the area and it was all blocked off to car and foot traffic. Keith wanted to get some photos so carrying my camera he left us behind and walked past the workers with authority. When they said he couldn't go any further, Keith told them he was from Missouri doing a documentary and preceded to take all the photos he wanted and they didn't stop him. Keith is always thinking.
Flood damaged Decator Bridge from the Iowa side
That evening we met all that could come for a Family Dinner at the Club by the Onawa Airport. It was great to catch up with Keith's sister, Joanne and her husband Joe. We also had a good visit with Keith's Aunt Norma who has had some recent health issues.
Left to right: Joe, Lottie, Charlotte, Norma, Keith, Beti, Joanne
On Friday, we drove around some more around Blencoe and saw the "phantom farmer's illegally built earth berms." The story goes that the town was likely to flood but the town folk stood their ground (literally) and saved the town at the expense of some corn fields instead by plugging some drainage and building berms around the perimeter. Time will tell how that story will conclude but the town did not flood as expected.
We never traveled on I-29 because we knew there was some compromised areas and didn't need to find out first hand. We went around the outskirts of Onawa by the old Blue Lake Road past Willey's Pond and found Bo-9 Acres. Doug was not home but his 28 year old son was and we let him know we would be back. Keith spent the rest of the day at his Mom's apartment while Daffney and I rested at the motel. That afternoon, we all went to visit Keith's sister Charlotte. I had not seen her since husband Mike died suddenly over a year ago. She is doing well now and her home is very nice. We had a good visit before going to dinner at the Onawa Cafe with Lottie.
After dinner, we took Lottie home and went to look up Doug and Vicky. Although I had seen Vicky in recent years, it had been at least 20 years since Keith and I had seen Doug. We had a lot to talk about and it went well into the night. It was a wonderful visit.
After taking Lottie to the Onawa Cafe for the third breakfast in a row, we said our goodbyes. I had to try to see my brother Ed and Dee so we went south to Blencoe to find them and hug them. Ed was working on a house remodeling job and we visited for a short time. Then we dropped in on Dee at their house and visited too before we headed back north. Our detoured route took us through Mapleton where a horrific tornado caused much destruction last spring. Other towns we went through included Denison, Harlan, Shenandoah in Iowa then Tarkio, Bethany, then south on Hwy 35 past St Joseph and then east on Hwy 116 to Polo where we connected to Hwy 13 back to Hwy 54 which is home. We stopped a lot and enjoyed the no-stress drive which avoided all large cities and flooding. There was only one unexpected detour on Hwy 136 near Conception because of the flooding of the Platte River.
We did good but it was MUCH longer drive than we were used too. The trip home took 10 hours and 470 miles. It was dark when we got to Hermitage. It was all good and so well worth the effort!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Time for Peaches
Lucky 13 Peaches
Keith and I get our peaches every year from Gordon's Orchard on Highway 13 near Vista, Missouri. The same owners have had the orchard and produce farm since the late 1970's and have been there regularly over the years to purchase fruits and vegetables in season. The peaches were ready since July and we are there each week. It is now September and I have already processed enough Lucky 13's to hold us over the winter. Since the work was done, we now purchase each week to eat fresh along with watermelons, cantaloupes, squash, and specialty foods that we do not grow ourselves.
Here is my favorite Crisp recipe that can be made with any fruit such as apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. Keith doesn't like cobblers because the crust can be undercooked for him and I just don't make them anymore because his idea of undercooked and mine are not the same. I do purchase cobblers in restaurants and the crusts are as done as the ones I made. This is a recipe he and I both enjoy and it goes very fast.
Peach Crisp
Makes: 9 servings.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Filling:
1/2 cup SPLENDA Brown Sugar Blend
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional additional 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)
4 cups peeled and sliced peaches (or other fruit)
Topping:
1 1/4 cups old fashion oatmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup SPLENDA Brown Sugar Blend
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter
How to Make:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8x8x2 inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Combine 1/2 cup sugar blend, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add fruit, tossing to coat. Spoon into prepared pan. Set aside.
3. Combine oatmeal, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar blend, and walnuts in a bowl. Stir in butter. Mixture will be crumbly. Spoon over fruit mixture.
4. Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.
Nutritional Information per Serving:
Calories 310, Calories from Fat 160, Total Fat 18g, Saturated Fat 7g, Cholesterol 25mg, Sodium 0mg, Total Carbohydrates 38g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 21g, Protein 4g.
Exchange per Serving: 1 1/2 Starches, 1 Fruit, 3 Fats
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