So this summer I am one of the lucky ones — I think there are about 40 of us — who own a share of Downing Hollow Farm, an organic farm run by Alex and Lori Greene in the bucolic-sounding Olive Hill, Tenn., in the hills between Memphis and Nashville. For about $400, each Wednesday I swing by the Memphis Botanic Garden and pick up a sack of produce. It is the highlight of my week — we’ve had strawberries, fresh herbs from thyme to cilantro, baby beets, sugar peas, and all sorts of greens and lettuces. The problem? Well, once I get it all home, I have to figure out what to do with it. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m so sorry to see that Oprah Winfrey, role model for superwomen everywhere, has gained so much weight that she feels like she needs to put her “fat” self next to her “skinny” self on the cover of her January magazine. Of course, the fact that we live in a thin-obsessed culture isn’t news, but when one of the richest, most influential women in the world can think she’s a loser because she weighs 200 pounds, we’re in big trouble. Now, I’m not saying Oprah should just enjoy being fat, but is it really the most important thing we know about her? All of the handwringing about Oprah’s weight — this column from The Daily Beast is especially global — reminds me of the opposite of the accolades she got when she was “thin enough” to be featured on the cover of Vogue all those years ago. She said then that the Vogue cover shoot was the culmination of one of her wildest dreams. My question today: Why is being thin more important than doing good work, helping influence a presidential election, opening a girls school in South Africa and, oh yeah, making millions? How out of whack ARE we?

I’m not going to the beach, but I’m getting ready to take a few days off, and I feel just like this kid looks: I can’t wait! I’m thinking of all the sleeping I’ll do, the books I’ll read (OK, the wine I’ll drink), and that means I won’t be blogging for a while. I’ll leave a few goodies to post while I’m away, but send scoop: Where was your getaway this summer, and was it worth it? Would you go back? TTFN …

I’ve always been the kind of girl who wants to take a pill and feel better. When I’m sick, I mean. Or in pain or ailing in any way. I once had a boyfriend who was astounded by all the pills in my medicine cabinet. It’s a regular Walgreen’s in there. I got daytime cold medicine, nighttime cold medicine, antihistamines, nasal sprays, cough medicines in several flavors and strengths, decongestants, flu meds, antacids, laxatives, diarrhea medication, Midol and Advil. (OMG, lots of Advil! My wonderdrug!) And that’s just the OTCs.

So it should come as no surprise that when I throw my back out (which I do, regularly, a couple times a year) that I’ve always treated it with the traditional route – pain killers and muscle relaxers. Because if there’s anything that can top the drug store in my bathroom, it’s a PRESCRIPTION!

Only, the back, it keeps going out. Couple times a year, I end up in bed for a week whacked out on the prescriptions and missing a lot of work. So this time I tried something different. An alternative. I went to a chiropractor. I’ve always been a little frightened by the thought, but what do I have to lose really? I ALREADY CAN’T FREAKING WALK. I recently saw firsthand how much it helped my brother-in-law when he injured his back, so I thought I’d give it a try. And wow! So much better. Not scary at all and after just one visit I’m no longer hobbling around like Fred G. Sanford. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s something I’ve discovered while off work: Daytime television can suck you in quicker than a Dyson upright. The great thing about soaps is, you can be gone for months – years even – and catch up on the storyline in a matter of minutes. And I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to go back to work and not see The OC and Gilmore Girls re-runs in the afternoons.

When I tuned in during my recent unemployment stint, Guiding Lightwas beginning a storyline where a young woman, “Ashlee,” was having lap-band surgery. She had come to this decision all on her own. Only her boyfriend (who, of course, loves her just the way she is and doesn’t care how much she weighs) was the only one who knew of her plans. Her mother – the DA – found out just as Ashlee was about to be wheeled into the operating room and so charged in and tried to talk her out of it. But Ashlee is an adult (although just barely) and can make her own decisions. She went through with the surgery.

I wondered right away how this was going to play out. A week or so after Ashlee had the surgery, there was a scene where she held up a pair of her (supposedly) old jeans that were several sizes too large for her. And I thought, “Please tell me they’re not going to dress her in larger clothes and expect us to believe that she’s getting smaller.” Because I’ve seen soaps do that with anorexic storylines before. And it kind of sucked then but it was definitely not going to work for the whole lap-band-surgery storyline. Read the rest of this entry »