I live in a remote river valley, so when I'm forced to go shopping in the big city I'll have one of two common reactions to the experience. Sometimes I feel it is a blast to get out of the valley and experience the hustle-bustle population explosion of a bigger town. Then there are days like today when I feel alarmed by the hugeness of the human settlement, and long to go home to the boonies.

We drove into Medford this morning and went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. That part was alright. Then we went shopping at Win-Co. That was moderately stressful. Next we got gas and proceeded to Walmart for a few cheap provisions. Before long I was wandering through the store looking for my best friend, buddy, and very significant other, looking at things and thinking "I don't need that. I don't need that either. I don't NEED any of this stuff!" I got only the few items on my list and then announced I was ready to go. He got a few goodies for his fishing kit and we headed home again. I was so happy to retreat!

On the way back into California (yes, we have to cross the Oregon border to shop) we were stopped by a state employee asking if we had any fruit or live plants. This agricultural inspection has been going on for many decades, but in my many trips across the border in the last five years or so, we've been allowed to pass uninspected -- they were stopping trucks only. I don't know why they are suddenly doing agricultural inspections for cars again. It is no big deal. We stop, an agent asks if we have the forbidden objects, and we say "no"... then are waved through. It isn't like they actually insist on looking through our grocery sacks. Fortunately we didn't have fruit or live plants... I would hate to buy a bag of oranges then have to turn it in at the border. We live only twenty miles south of the Oregon-California border and nowhere near any orange trees. I don't think they do well in our climate - but there are a lot of old apple trees; you have to know where to look for them.

I get enough "civilization" from checking it out on the Internet... I don't need to be out in it to be happy.

It is hard, even for those who commit to a natural diet, to stay away from impure substances. What is being sold in stores as food could be poison, and how would we know the difference? Recently the facts about melamine in foods imported from China rocked the nation. Even baby formula is targeted. Even baby formula in the USA! Parents were told the melamine levels in USA baby formula are "acceptable". Thanks, food and drug administration geniuses... we're told it is okay to have a small amount of inedible plastics placed in foods so that manufacturers can make more money! That's just scary! We're talking MELAMINE here - the same stuff that plastic dinnerware is made of. It has NO place in FOOD!!! Babies in China are on KIDNEY DIALYSIS because of this stuff... and some of the babies are DEAD.

Not long ago I was inspired to do some study into the huge variety of sweeteners, both natural and artificial. The artificial sweeteners are also immensely frightening. Do you realize that Aspertame, which many people claim is poison killing people, was promoted by drug company CEO Donald Rumsfeld - the same one that has been serving as President Bush's Secretary of Defense? Even after knowing that tests showed Aspertame to be dangerous, he wanted this to be used. Why? Is he part of a conspiracy to harm common Americans? I'm upset because I'm one of millions of Americans who used to buy and use Aspertame (Equal/NutraSweet) by the boxful. That pizza restaurant I used to work for until September still serves the stuff. And Diet Coke - does that still have Splenda in it? That's Sucralose - something else I wouldn't want to put in my body. I've read that Aspertame is also found in some pharmaceutical drugs - and we don't even know which ones! I'm supposed to take three different kinds of medications daily and am not happy with the thought that Aspertame could be included!

Fortunately there are lots of natural sweeteners available on supermarket shelves these days, so when it comes to eating, we can make reasonable choices. My favorite sweetener is Maple Syrup (the real stuff) when I can get a good price on it. My local backwoods supermarket also carries Agave Nectar, Rice Syrup, and Organic Raw Cane Sugar.... all good sweeteners that are more likely to make us fat than to poison us. Take your pick.

I think everyone should research the options for natural and artificial sweeteners before consuming them. Our health is important. So very important. This is our only body and keeping it in good condition is paramount to our existence and happiness.

I've been working on a page about How to Use FriendFeed for over six months now. Tonight I did a major update. I looked at all the sites that FriendFeed supports, to write on my page what each site is. It was quite an exploration. I'm amazed at how many micro-blogging sites exist now, and photo sharing, also very popular. I saw a few sites I'm interested in returning to. Maybe I'll get into something new, thanks to FriendFeed.

One other thing I accomplished today - I made a private start page that resides on my computer, for my own reference. It lists everything from my calendar for the coming week, to a list of goals, to media links, all my blog links, and lots more. Really a helpful thing to have. I've done this before, but lost my best start page a few years ago through an accidental deletion.

I've had a busy couple of months, not only because of pressures at work, but also because I was working on a special project at Squidoo.Com - I was making fifty lenses in order to be qualified to be named a Giant Squid. May sound strange, but Squidoo is a friendly site where we can make lots of money and hang out with congenial people.

As you can see, I'm back at my Xanga blog now. I'm no longer working at the job outside my home and have more time to relax and have fun just writing about my life.

Today we moved things around. My boyfriend moved into my dining room. I'm moving into the back bedroom. This room will be an office only and no longer doubles as my bedroom. I just love feeling like I'm stretching out. My boyfriend's corner of the house looks comfy and cozy next to the woodstove nearby - just like cabin living should be. He's very happy with it and so am I. He's the one who will tend the fire for me all winter and he wanted to sleep next to the heat source. Around here - not a bad idea. I've got an electric heater that I'll use here in the office or in my bedroom at night.

It is just past midnight, and the more I talk about my bedroom, the sleepier I get. I guess it is time for me to go test it out.

Forest fires are burning west of here and today the wind kicked up and blew smoke into our remote mountain village. Did I mention before that I live in the Klamath River Valley? The fires are being "managed" and allowed to burn... very annoying because there are air-quality issues. But the people working on the fires want them to last a long time because they're getting $200 per day for managing the fires rather than putting them out.

My oldest daughter is sending me "an i-pod-like thing" for my birthday. I must confess, I'm really looking forward to getting this. I'm going to use it to listen to books, among other things. It sounds so very exciting... as I emerge from the dark ages into the world of advanced technology. This is so very cool.

Today I worked on a site I've owned for several years... Literature For Kids. I had a WordPress blog on there, but it got hacked.. badly. I removed it and as of today, have a static web page which will be an index of information on children's literature for writers, readers, teachers, and children's book illustrators. If children's literature is your thing, take a look.

Hey, I'm liking Xanga. This is kind of fun!

I've known about Xanga for years but this is my first time to start a blog here. It is kind of exciting. I'm exploring the world of Web 2.0 sites and this one was on my list.

I feel like I'm swimming in the dark. I don't know what to expect here. I feel like I'm in a dark cave in the water. Everyone else knows what happens, and I'm totally... a newbie!

I'm sure that feeling will pass. I have no special plans for this blog other than to get conversational and stay that way.

You can find me elsewhere on the web. I am at Friendfeed and Twitter and Squidoo. Right now my favorite Squidoo lens is one I finished just last night: The Tao of Keywords. But I also like the one I finished today: How to Use FriendFeed.

I live alone. My boyfriend lives in his van but right now it is too HOT in there for him to sleep, so I'm letting him camp out in my back bedroom. My dog, Bear, lives with me. He's a sweet black dog - usually quiet, unless someone comes to the door. I also have two cats... Sabrina and Mocha.