AUGUST 22, 2011 DO YOU APPRECIATE GRASSES?

"GOD is subtle, but he is not malicious." - Albert Einstein

Do you believe in GOD? My understanding of GOD was shaped by my Catholic upbringing and the understanding of those around me. As I got older,my "GOD concept" began to boggle my mind. I felt victimized---even abandoned by GOD because I was gay. I have grown up (yet I still have that little hobby boy within me). My understanding of a Power greater than myself is easier to comprehend. When I first entered a 12 step program more than seventeen years ago, I was afraid of those three little letters - G.O.D. I didn't want to go back to Sunday morning mass, nor Wednesday catholic classes with Sister Margaret. I feel so much better now that I have turned my will and life over to the care of GOD - Good Orderly Direction. I do not have to feel pressured these days. I can only do to the best of my ability...

I repeat this every night before bedtime...

The energy you give me, I turn into the actions of an honorable healing life. You will never have a cause to feel ashamed of being part of my life. May your spirit travel always in peace, love, and serenity.

I love to read and I read constantly. Right now I am between three books, Anatomy of an Addiction, Weeds, and Grasses: An identification Guide. Actually I am also fitting in a biography of Kay Thompson too.

Grasses cover almost one third of the area of the earth. They cover approximately one half the area of the United States. Only the Daisy and Orchid families are greater in number than the Grass family. Grasses survive at unbelievable climate changes- cold and warm. The fruit of the grasses is consumed by us--the grains. The following grains come from plants in the Grass family- Barley, Rye, Oats ,Wheat, Corn, and Millet. The first four grains are the major gluten grains. It is abbreviated - B-R-O-W. We as humans do not digest the leafy parts of the grass. That is for the animals like the cows and bison. Since most of America consumes sugar, we are eating another member of the grass family- The Sugarcane Plant.

In Fire Island and the Far East, another grass, bamboo, is plentiful. As far as I know, the bamboo on Fire Island is not used as food or a construction material as it is in the Far East.

What I love about grasses is their ability to withstand stresses. Only if we humans could withstand stress. The reason I enjoyed Nampa, Idaho so much was the grasses growing in more or less uninterrupted stretches as in the meadows, pastures, and the cultivated fields. It was a sight to be seen. I miss that living on the East Coast and especially in the metropolitan city of New York. Although there are not large stretches of grass in Fire Island, there is enough to give me that kind of feeling.

Until tomorrow...