The Curious Housewife

My new friend! Photo by author  It has been six months now since I elected to go vegan. Switching to this way of eating has occurred gradually over the last couple of years and was prompted by a desire to eat in a way that was personally more meaningful and more healthful.  I have been treated for cancer and heart disease and so choosing a healthy plant based diet is part of my life plan in dealing with the aftermath of those conditions. Additionally, I really want to match my food choices with how I feel about animals; that they are sentient beings just like humans and that every last one of us are God's creatures, no matter how small or large or seemingly insignificant. In an overall way then, it's important for me to honor both my health and my beliefs. Veganism helps me to support both of those priorities. As with many types of lifestyle changes, the process of going vegan has been slow. It is still a work in progress. Shopping for food is problematic. Many p...

The author, far left, on hike to Osborne Ridge, Lake Alpine, CA. 2017 Towards the end of 2016, I joined Meetup in order to try and find some other people who wanted to hike. I had been walking regularly on a trail near my home but wanted to expand my efforts and didn't feel comfortable hitting the trails by myself. I joined a couple of different groups and started to go on some "hikes." (I put that word in parenthesis because even after a year's time I really can't define what a hike is.)  It's been a little over a year now since I started this hobby of mine. I have learned some things by watching and talking to the people in my hiking group. Being an introvert, I have also engaged in personal reflection and have come up with some ideas. For people like myself who are nervous about starting new things or are just a tad bit neurotic in general, I thought that sharing some of these observations might be helpful. 1. Going for a walk doesn't requi...

On more than one occasion now, well meaning people, people that I care about, have told me that "I just need to eat some meat." This well meaning comment is usually made during a meal out when I am searching the menu for something to eat that will work for my vegan diet. I try to laugh a bit or say something helpful and explanatory but honestly, the directive just irritates me.  It's not likely that I am going to eat meat just because the menu at the restaurant doesn't cater to my needs. I may be frustrated but it's not likely that I am going to look the other way and just have some chicken because that is the easiest choice. The directive to just eat some meat makes me feel like my friend or relative doesn't quite understand my beliefs or convictions. (It's important to note here that people do care and want to make sure that I am getting adequate nutrition. Not everyone has researched being healthy on a vegan diet so they may not know.) But trust me, I a...