I have a neighbor who hunts as a hobby. He is a vegetarian because of health concerns. He hunts and gives us his bounty. He is a very meticulous person a very good hunter, and a great neighbor. Vegetarians and members of PETA stop reading this blog, it is not for you. Those of us who eat meat and fish, you may continue to read this blog.

The first time he brought us an antelope the kitchen ended up looking like a horror film. My adorable apron ended up looking like evidence from a murder scene. This year we were prepared for his successful hunt and implemented an efficient cut and wrap operation. Antelope meat is lean and delicious. It is wild so I don’t know what it eats but not intentional antibiotics and hormone feed. It tastes like lean beef. It does not taste like chicken.

Last year he came to our door and asked if we were sick of salmon? That would be no, to fresh wild salmon from the Pacific Ocean. Dungeness Crab? Yes he goes crabbing and shares with us after he cooks and cleans them. I did mention that he is great at his hobby. Antelope, fresh wild salmon, and Dungeness crab are delicious exotic and expensive foods. I am so lucky to have a neighbor that keeps my family in food for months. He can pursue his hobby and know it is well appreciated. How many other hobbyists can say the same? Another bird house from Cousin Fred? Another knitted toilet paper cover from Aunty Min?

 I have always been organized and never a procrastinating person. I had a plan for my career, my vacations, and my life. You can imagine my surprise when I received an invasive aggressive breast cancer diagnosis. Breast cancer was not in my plans. It wasn’t even on my radar. I was forced to open up my plan book and add a new chapter.

As breast cancer awareness month winds down I wonder how many other women felt like me? How many other families had to cancel vacations, alter their roles, or give up careers? How many other women added not a new chapter to their life but a whole new book as I did? I never would have thought that my breast cancer diagnosis would lead me to a new career path. A life threatening diagnosis can bring out different responses in different people. For me the response was to look at this life plan I had and not just edit it but start fresh. Starting my own Sleepwear Company, www.haralee.com gave me a new path, purpose and career. To be able to be my own boss, to be able to do something that helps others and to be able to give back to charity is the new plan for my life.

Change is difficult but achievable. Change in health, family, career, and income can all cause stress to a well planned order life. The joy is taking the changes and making a fuller life. I wish all breast cancer survivors the joy of survivorship in their new lives.

Last week-end was “Shop for A Cause” at Macy’s. Macy’s stores let charities sign up for a table at store entrances where the charities sold for $5.00 a coupon pass good for that day. All the proceeds went to the charity. A win-win situation. Macy’s gets more customers in their stores to use their coupons and the charities profit from the sales with little expense. I signed up the charity I am involved with, the Clara Jean Foundation, a holistic approach to breast cancer, http://www.clarajean.org/, for the day shift.

Since it was our first year we did not know what to expect. We didn’t come prepared. Next year we will be better prepared from what we learned from other charities that have done this promotion.

  Here is what we learned:

1. Dogs, especially big dogs will stop a shopper in her tracks

2. A couple of  cute teenage well mannered boys roaming the store asking customers if they need help with their packages and selling the coupons on the spot at the registers.

3. 12-13 year old determined young girls stopping and selling to customers

4. Cooking demonstrations with samples.

5. Cookies, candy, balloons, dog treats, wrist bracelets, teething cookies.

6. Bag/Coat check station

7. Resting chairs with portable TVs incase there is a game

8. Chair Massages

9. Raffle to win something, anything

10. Cheer Leaders

We have a year to come up with our plans and we will be better prepared for next year. My thoughts go to pink balloons, cheerleaders, pink cookies, breast cancer wrist bands, chair massage, and maybe even flu shots!  I am really impressed with Macy’s commitment to support not only national but local charities too. The coupons were fantastic. Boy did I get some great buys on presents for the Holidays!

 October is breast cancer awareness month and as the month advances, more thought is given to Halloween than Breast Cancer. What if we combined the two? How about dressing up as the pink ribbon, or the pink crusader? What about Racey for the Cure all in Pink? Of course Pink Fairies, Pink Queens, Pink Witches, Little BoPink are all viable combination options. Will you dress in costume for work? On October 16th, American Airlines is encouraging their employees to dress up in pink for the cure. Susan G Komen for the Cure has a program, “Passionately Pink for the Cure”. This program encourages companies to fund raise, show your passion for the cure and manifest it by wearing of the pink. Sounds like a pink Halloween party to me! Kids, or grandkids, are never too young to instill social responsibility and still have fun. Why not a pink theme family holiday? Many schools no longer have Halloween parties but have harvest festivals. Can you see pink scarecrow costumes, pink farmers, pink Dorothy with the red slippers? Adorable! Have fun and support breast cancer awareness through-out October.

 If you have been reading the papers or various medical journals lately a few studies jump out from the page.

How about this one from the ‘American Academy of Sleep Medicine’,

“Biological clock out of sync in patients being treated for breast cancer with chemotherapy”?

You Think!

The study goes on to say that psychological factors such as stress, pain, depression, napping and more could be contributing factors. DUH!In the Journal of Nature, “Gene therapy fixes colorblind monkeys”.

The study tells us that 7% of male Americans have red-green colorblindness, which is the inability to see a difference between shades of the two colors.

I am riveted to read more on how this research can help all humans. Let me say the researchers note that “Colorblindness is not life threatening”. They also acknowledge that gene therapy has risks of actually causing cancer and other life threatening complications. So…….?

 In the Archives of Internal Medicine, “Defibrillators do little for women”.

A recent study showed that the devices do little for women in preventing them from dying of heart failure. This is one more study showing gender difference in regards to heart disease. Historically large studies have been on men with the results applied to women. So now once and for all can we say ‘What is good for the goose is good for the gander’ is a stupid saying?

This relates to Breast Cancer How?

October is National Breast Cancer awareness month, so all month long there are opportunities to raise your own BC IQ and enlighten others.

1 out 8 women in the United States will have breast cancer in her lifetime.

40,000 women in the United States died from breast cancer last year.

There is no cure for breast cancer. There is no definitive cause for breast cancer.  You know you are cured from breast cancer when you die of something else. The top two causes for breast cancer are being a woman and having too many birthdays. Research is encouraging, but slow. The question remains:

Will you see a cure for breast cancer in your lifetime? In your daughter’s?

 Here are a few things you can do to make a world with-out breast cancer, one day closer.

 Schedule your mammogram

Encourage some one who has not got a mammogram to schedule it

 October 16^th is National Mammography Day

 Donate to the Susan G Komen for the Cure, or any BC charity

http://www.komenforthecure.org/

 October 2, 2009 is Lee National Denim Day. Wear jeans, and donate $5.00

http://www.denimday.com/

 Join the Army of Women. Dr. Susan Love and Avon look for the Cause.

http://www.armyofwomen.org/

 Shop with companies that donate to breast cancer research. Such as;

http://www.haralee.com/, http://www.newbalance.com/, http://www.coldwatercreek.com/

and many more. Be a conscientious consumer.

43,000 people joined together for the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure this

30 Strong!

Sunday in Portland Oregon. A beautiful sunny morning brought thousands touched by breast cancer a warm feeling of hope. Hope for the Cure, Hope for the Cause, Hope for the Healing. 43,000 people gave up their normal Sunday morning activities to show their support for curing breast cancer. My company had a team again this year, Team Haralee. Team members are made up of survivors of breast cancer and the ugly stepsister of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and their families and friends. Our Donation goal, above the $25.00 entrance fee, was met this year! Survivors wear a pink commemorative T-shirt. Non survivors wear a commemorative white T-shirt. Watching a sea of pink and white T-shirts is a very powerful image. Special attention is given to pink shirt wearers. There was a survivor tent with special goody bags filled with socks and tea and shoelaces and coupons from National Komen sponsors for all survivors. Deference was given to pink shirted women. Survivors were sent to the head of the line for samples, even the line for the port-a-potties. For a few hours at this special event the Power of the Pink T-Shirt is honored. Those participating with the Race for the Cure understand the physical, mental, emotional, and fiscal costs of survivorship and show their respect and love. It is a celebration and a memorial and a very powerful event. Oregon and Washington have the highest rates of breast cancer in the country. With a dubious honor like that, Komen was able to chase out 43,000 people to support the Race for the Cure. I just wonder why not 100,000 or 200,000 people? Maybe next year there will be a cure, or a cause. We all hold on to the Hope.

With the ease of GPS and Google Maps on our laptops, Blackberries and phones, getting lost is really about poor preparation these days. If you do find yourself not knowing the correct address or zip code or with-out modern technology, some one is usually about with a phone or GPS that can help. That said; have you gone to a cemetery lately to try and find the grave of a relative?

If you frequent the graves of your loved ones often, you are all set. You know where they are, and you know how to find them. No alternate road detours or new tombstones are going to deter you from your destination. If you don’t go to the cemetery but once a year or less, it can be a challenge to find the grave you seek.

Picture a beautiful sunny day, and you and your family decide with flowers in hand to visit the grave of a loved one. Road construction makes you take an unfamiliar road into the cemetery. There is a service going on down the road so to be respectful you park what you think is a short distance away and start walking toward the grave site of your dearly departed. 20 minutes later you are still walking. The flowers are going limp, the family is getting cranky, you are sweating and still no success on your destination. You see a black large tombstone and hurry your walk certain you are close, but no, it is new. In fact there are several new tombstones and trees and unfamiliar landmarks. Wouldn’t this be a good time for Cemetery GPS?

As a menopausal woman my ranting can be attributed to a meno-rage. I may get some back talk from writing about this issue, but I feel compelled to vent. When did meetings start requiring food as part of the agenda? When did bringing snacks for a meeting become acceptable? Why do I have a file on who can eat what?

If I have to listen to one more person go on and on about their food allergies and food issues and have to try to order or prepare snacks, lunch or dinner with or for them, I will crack! Please note: If you have various food issues do not make a meeting for lunch, dinner or over coffee. Make your diet restrictions clear before someone goes to a lot of trouble preparing food. Remember a meeting is perfectly acceptable with-out food and beverages. Let me repeat myself, a business meeting is acceptable with-out food and beverage consumption. No one will perish from thirst after a 60 or 90 minute meeting.

I understand that many people must adhere to a gluten free diet. I feel badly for the people with the food allergies to peanuts, red dye, corn, legumes, shell fish, strawberries, etc. I respect those people who are vegan and vegetarians because of their moral beliefs. I admire those who for medical and health reasons are vegans and vegetarians. I am akin to people who have a restricted diet for religious beliefs. I am compassionate with the diabetics.

All I am saying is that the few of us left who can and do eat freely at will don’t want to be coveted, hear sanctimonious lectures, or starred/drooled at our food choices. Meetings can start and conclude before or after a meal time. If snacks are present, if some one brought in some thing special, eat it or don’t, but continue to work. The sooner we can effectively conclude the meeting the sooner we can eat food and drink beverages of our own choices!

Do you remember the advice Dustin Hoffman’s character in ‘The Graduate’ received? “The Future is in Plastics!”

Well it turns out that plastic has changed the world but it also is linked to cancers in the breast, brain and testicals. The FDA is reviewing (again) new studies on Bisphenol A (BPA), on whether the chemical is safe for use in food and beverage containers.

BPA is the same chemical banned in Canada for its use in baby bottles. Canada has declared BPA a toxin. Many states and cities in the USA have banned the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups made from BPA.

The appeal of BPA is that it makes clear plastic hard. The problem besides the cancer links is that the chemical is found in urine samples of 90% of all Americans according to the National Resources Defense Council. A study from the University of Cincinnati showed that BPA leeches from bottles when heated. A University of Missouri researcher, Fred Von Saal, states “There is no such thing as safe microwavable plastic”.

So what is a person to do? A good start is to stop heating up food in plastic in the microwave. Invest in glass containers for storage and freezing. Also rethink that bottled water left in your car that you refill. Invest in the stainless steel thermos.

When a family member asks what you want for your Birthday, your anniversary or Chanukah, or Christmas, say, “The Future is in Glass!”