November 2010

November 1, 2010 in 2010 by Joyce Bunderson

November: In this Issue

Tribute to Troy Skeen

Dr. Grandma’s remembers Troy Skeen and recognizes his contributions to the company.

Special Days and Monthly Celebrations

Grandma really enjoys celebrations and special days; so each month she will share a few ideas that she thinks are interesting.

Good Health Can Be Yummy

Recipes and thoughts on making food taste good and build healthy bodies. Read more…

Tribute to Troy

Troy Skeen, Vice President of Doctor Grandma’s passed on August 26, 2010 at the age of 38. As a founding partner, he did much of the initial work of setting up Dr. Grandma’s, its website, logo and staffing. Troy was the son of Joyce Bunderson, President of Doctor Grandma’s.

This has been a difficult time for Dr. Grandma’s LLC and for Joyce and her family. Remembrances of Troy will be sprinkled through this newsletter as we look forward to Thanksgiving, thankful for the contributions that Troy made to our lives.

Special Days and Monthly Celebrations

Here in the Mountain West, the brilliant display of the red fall foliage is followed a few weeks later by yellow — making for a nice lingering display of colors. The red colors are anthocyanins that are produced to protect the leaves from the sun. The yellow and orange colors in the leaves are there all summer, they are just “hidden” by the green. As trees go dormant for the winter, the chlorophyll that makes the leaves green disappears, revealing the brilliant yellow and orange pigments. A nice metaphor for our lives – when the unnecessary falls away what has been there all along, invisible, is revealed.

November Happenings

Daylight Savings Time – November 7st

Although the days have been getting shorter for a while, they become dramatically shorter when we turn our clocks forward an hour. As the weather turns cooler, its time to button up the jacket; start the day with a hot breakfast, such as Mountain Top Breakfast or pancakes, and end it with hot soups.

I’ll so looking forward to getting my hour back!

Veterans Day – November 11th /  Aviation History Month /  Family Stories Month

While packing Troy’s home, I was in his basement and there hung a bright yellow model plane with a 4-foot wingspan. That model plane built by his grandfather, hung on Troy’s wall during his years of growing up. Now, Troy’s son Colten has the plane. I will tell him the stories of his great grandfather, who built some of his planes with bomb bay doors and flew them over elementary schools during Aviation history month filled with candy and trinkets. It was a joy for Colten’s great grandpa to see the delight of the children.

Grandpa Gagnon was a photoreconnaissance pilot in WWII and never lost his love of aviation. Colten’s great grandpa won several awards for his model planes and some are in museums in southern California.

Thanksgiving – November 25, 2010

November is a month to focus on gratitude. Sometimes gratitude is difficult — especially when tragedy affects us. Instead of focusing on loss, I am thankful for all the time that I had with Troy. I try to spend my time reflecting on all his talents, his gifts and the unique personality that he brought to this earth — the laughter and the warm moments.

From a broader perspective, I am thankful for the bounty of earth — especially fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes and whole grains. These are the staples that have over millenia provided the nourishment that sustains us.

Family Gathering Month
National Family Week – November 21 – 27

As our family gathers for Thanksgiving this year, Troy will be missed, but in that absence we will hug each other a little closer, be more kind and loving to each other, more compassionate and caring. Loss makes us more keenly aware of the fragility of life and the preciousness of each moment that we have together. Enjoy your loved ones this holiday season.

Pursuit of Happiness Week – November 7 – 13

Visiting China really brought much gratitude to my mind – gratitude for freedoms to express our individual perspectives and gratitude for the blessings of plenty. The trip also gave me a of sense of responsibility toward those in third world countries especially regarding the phrase “pursuit of happiness” in the United States Declaration of Independence.

American Diabetes Month

It seems as shame that there is only one month devoted to diabetes awareness. Diabetes is such a terrible disease with horrific consequences — blindness, lower limb amputation, kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, etc. Something must be done to turn the tide of the growing diabetes epidemic.

As I mention in the blog Diabetes — Prevention and Intervention Is the Real Story –the good news in the diabetes story is that healthy eating and exercising can have a dramatic impact on the symptoms and progression of Type 2 diabetes and its precursor, prediabetes. November, in general, and Thanksgiving, specifically, is a great time to begin an eating and exercise plan to avoid diabetes. It is too easy to slip from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s indulging in foods that are bad for your health. Start new traditions now, start today — take control of your life.

National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month

Can you believe that there is a patent on peanut butter? Although the myth is that George Washington Carver invented peanut butter, J.H. Kellogg, of breakfast cereal fame, obtained the patent for peanut butter in 1897. Peanut butter (and peanuts) provides lots of good nutrition including protein, vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, and high levels of the antioxidants. Peanut butter is high in monounsaturated fats and resveratrol. Legumes like peanuts, are a really healthy choice. Choose peanut butter without added palm oil or lots of sugar. I like the peanuts only variety, but that means mixing the oil because it separates.

Good Health Can Be Yummy

Recipes and thoughts on making food taste good and build healthy bodies.

Did you miss any of these articles? These were some of the most popular blog posts and the most fun to write:

  • Diabetes – Prevention and Intervention Is the Real Story — this October 27th blog discusses a report that helps us confront the stark reality of the burdens of diabetes, including the sad projections that 6 millions Americans are unaware that they have diabetes.
  • Halloween – Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Screech — in this October 22nd post Dr. Grandma discusses strategies to get through Halloween without tooth decay or weight gain.
  • Spending a Fortune on Food in Order to Eat Healthily — in this October 20th post, Dr. Grandma discusses a study that leads us to eating a heart-healthy diet without breaking the food budget.
  • Boning Up on Exercise – in this October 15th post Mary Ireland discusses research on how the effect of activity, particularly resistance training, and diet helps protect and improve bone mass.
  • Missing Lettuce in China — in this October 13th post Dr. Grandma shares information about a study that finds a link between a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes and eating leafy green vegetables. She also shares a recipe for Quick Chicken Broccoli Soup.
  • A Ninjabetic Attitude — in this October 1st post Dr. Grandma is a strong proponent for aggressively and diligently working on life-style habits to divert the complications of diabetes.

Other links of interest: