All bets are off today (Sunday. I’m late posting this.) I went to the 39th Annual Oregon Country Fair in Veneta. A piece of land normally flooded in winter is converted into a magical forest with over seven hundred artisans offering handcrafts, over fifty booths selling food and numerous musicians, performers and parades to delight your senses.
About 45,000 people attend the fair during its three-day run. It’s a zero waste fair and runs on renewable energy. Many people come in amazingly creative costumes, and the only requirement is that the genitals be covered according to Oregon law. No drugs or alcohol are allowed, though you’ll get your occasional whiff of pot.
The Oregon Country Fair creates events and experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on Earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous and healthy ways.
The first year I attended was in 2006 with my fourteen-year-old nephew who was impressed mostly by the bare breasts. Last year I went with my ex-postal carrier Calvin who delivered mail to my book warehouse. We’ve kept in touch after I moved away. He was one of the few postal employees who wanted to ensure I had good service. Most of the employees wanted my business but they didn’t want to have to work especially hard for it.
In one year I spent over $115,000 in postage with the Roseburg post office, but the next year I moved my business to another post office because of an obstructionist who didn’t like customers. She refused to pick up all my packages despite the postal service heavily advertising this service. I guess they don’t mind picking up your packages when you have only four, but if you have two hundred they make you bring them yourself. Now does that make sense? “Okay, so if I do ten dollars worth of business with you in a day, you’ll pick up my packages. But if I do three hundred dollars, I have to deliver them myself?”
Calvin’s wife Violette was out of town visiting family last year. This year she came to check out the fair, but most importantly to try the fabulous cheesecake Calvin had told her about. These are two of the nicest people you’d hope to meet in Roseburg. And Calvin’s a rain, sleet, and snow kinda mailman.
The fair comes only once a year, so I had to avail myself of the fine food. The temperature was ninety-five degrees so I indulged in two snowcones: cherry and root beer. All day I’d been avoiding ice cream, my favorite, because of the dairy. It was only on the drive home that I realized that the cheesecake I ate contained dairy. I’ll post some pictures in the next blog post.
This concludes this nutrition experiment. I have noted a decrease in pain in my back. I will get back on track and keep dairy out of my diet for a while. I’m amazed how much of my diet is permeated by dairy. Cheese and crackers, hot mocha from the drive-up, caesar salad, Mexican food, ice cream, omelette, milk is everywhere.
I am happy to report four pounds lost. But the greatest benefit is that by forcing myself to eat all that fruit, I am now much more prone to eat fruit when I want a snack. Instead of reaching for cheese and crackers, I reach for a couple plums or a bowl of grapes.
And I noted that the entire time I was off refined sugars and dairy I was not bit once by a flea. My cats are picking up a lot of fleas and despite twice daily combing, I’ve been getting bitten. But not one bite this past week. I had a muffin and some chocolate two days ago and yesterday I got bit again. It could be a coincidence. I don’t know. I have read of raw foodists and those who abstain from refined sugar being ignored by mosquitoes.
So get yourself a bowl of fruit and keep it handy on the counter. When you get an urge to eat, reach for a piece of healthy, nutrient-rich, water-rich fruit.
