Why Do Ditch Diggers Have Great Bodies?

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  I'm almost half way through digging and filling my garden with 13 cubic yards of black topsoil from Pine Island, NY. It's the best soil you can have, since it comes from the Arctic glaciers that melted a few million years ago. I've always prided myself to be quite strong from years of Muay Thai fighting and various sports, but let me tell you....digging dirt is tough stuff! After about 2 hours of filling a wheel barrel, taking it to its destination and digging out the soil (I'm too short for leveraging the wheel barrel to just dump the dirt into the elevated garden beds), I'm a done deal! I know when to stop before I think I'll overdo it. This is repetitive work and now I know why ditch diggers sing songs to the rhythym of their motions....I'm singing all those songs of the south the sisters of brutality taught us in Catholic parochial school (the things you remember while digging in the dirt!).

So, here's my tip: if you're digging dirt, filling a garden and think you're going to get it done in a day...just forget about it! Sing some songs, take your time, drink lots of water and tomorrow is another day. It might take me another 6 days to get the job done - any volunteers to help out there? Have a wonderful week; be safe, be healthy and be cool!

Remember To Hydrate

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  It's Fall and time for all those charity runs, rides, races, etc.  Don't forget proper hydration; even though it might be cool out, you still need to drink the same amount of water before, during and after your event.  Proper hydration is essential to homeostasis, so don't be a dope....hydrate!

Sharing Knowledge Is To Be Divine

Saturday, I decided to get off my sissy pants butt and do a 91 mile motorcycle poker fun run to benefit a local animal shelter.  I telephoned the organizer to tell him I was a novice rider and was the ride up to my skills set.  He said 'no worries, I'll take good care of you'.  91 miles later, I learned how to back the bike up into a spot on a gravel surface; how to start the bike when stopped on a steep hill, how to really look where I want to go on curves - which made for a lot of fun, and to take the plunge on a major highway and let it  go at 65-70mph.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  All along this ride, veteran riders kept giving me pointers and advice and were most kind and generous with their knowledge.They shared their years of experience , offered gentle encouragement, and when I finally backed the bike into a spot without any assistance, they all clapped and cheered me on.  Knowledge is power, but to share it with others is to be Divine.  If you're an expert of anything, be generous...share it with others.  After all, someone gave you a piece of their know-how way back when.  A special thank you to Jim and all the other folks who participated in the Sullivan County Roars For Paws Ride...they raised $1700 for the shelter.  Way to go!

Another Reason Why You Should Stay Fit and Limber

This weekend, it finally happened....taking a slow uturn on an uphill...I dropped the Harley.  I just didn't give it enough throttle.  As the bike was going down, my instinct took over and I leapt approximately 8 ft away from the bike.  Although I landed on my feet like a cat and without a scratch, I did pull a hamstring...ouch to say the least.  So, I turned the engine off and started to walk out the pull.  A nice fellow stopped by on his farm truck and helped me pick up the bike and get it turned and down the hill.  I decided the hamstring was good enough to continue and enjoyed a lovely ride through the farm roads.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  OK, I've got a really sore hamstring today, but it's because I pushed off my left leg with everything I had to leap 8ft from the bike to safety.  If I weren't in good physical condition and limber (let's talk yoga here), I could never have gotten away from the bike, which could have landed on me, resulting in a big injury.  For all you riders out there, I've got some good advice....cardio and yoga will get you free of the bike if it goes down and don't forget TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF!

Motorcycle Safety School for Your Good Health

This past weekend, I attended the advanced class of Motorcycle Safety School (MSS).  They are held for drivers who have had their own motorcycles and want to enhance their riding skills.  I've only had my 883 Sportster Low for a few months and this was the 6th time I'd been on the bike.  It rained all day long, so this was my intro to maneouving the bike and riding it in the rain...no more fear here about riding on a wet road!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Maintain good health and keep all your bones and limbs intact.  If you are thinking of riding a motorcycle or have had one for a while, sign up for MSS today and learn to ride properly or enhance your riding skills.  This can make you a better rider and in the long, might prevent serious injury.  Hey...even Henry the Bear went to school this past weekend with me!

Fun At 50

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Just for kicks and giggles, I'll make you laugh today just like the fellow laughed from AARP's motorcycle insurance division.  I was on the telephone today obtaining the cheapest motorcycle insurance out of all the companies that offer the service with John from Foremost.  I said, "wow....what a day!  There's just so much fun at 50!  This morning I had anesthesia...best nap I've had in years...no, they wouldn't give me a 'go cup'....just love that anesthesia....oh, what for?  Oh yes, my first colonoscopy now that I'm an old bag and an AARP member....did you know with my AARP card I get a free donut at Dunkin Donuts when I buy a large coffee?  Yeah...and now that you're giving me the motorcycle insurance at the best discount, I feel like I've just won the lotto!  Oh, hey...what an exciting day, indeed...." 
John replied, "wow, I see what I have to look forward to when I get to your age..."
For all you 'old farts' out there like me, remember....you're as young as you feel, so take good care of yourselves like me and live life to the edge...you only get one ride in life.  I've decided that mine is going to be on 2 wheels!

AARP Discounts

I opened my mailbox yesterday to find an AARP magazine.  I thought 'whose is this?', and then remembered that I'm an old bag now and a member of AARP...the subscription is mine....so I decided to read the magazine and see what it had to offer me - childless, single and enjoying life as I always have (senior my _ss!).  For starters, now I know why all the older people in Florida who hang out at the Dunkin Donuts have a donut and a large coffee.  AARP members get a FREE  Donut when they purchase a large coffee.  Wow, that's a healthy discount.  Regal Theatres offers members up to a 49% discount ($5.50) when they buy a bundled purchase of a 32OZ soft drink and a 64OZ popcorn at any of their theatres.  Another healthy snack...then I read something of interest.  AARP Motorcycle Insurance From Foremost...Eureka!  Finally, something I can use!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Stay away from some of the discounts AARP offers (read the above blog) and get healthy financial discounts with them instead.  They offier AARP Motorcycle Insurance Program From Foremost where you can customize your insurance program that includes roadside assistance and towing at discounts.  Since I've just gotten myself a Harley (AARP old bag my -ss), I'm going to get my membership's money's worth and check out the motorcycle insurance.  Forget the free donut from Dunkin and the 640z discount popcorn at Regal Theatres...I want to be healthy, physically fit and fabulously sexy looking on my motorcycle - don'tyou?

Take Some TIme For Yourself This Weekend

Most of us are off tomorrow and there's a long weekend in my own near future.  I've got my whole agenda planned...drawing class, golf, motorcycle ride - and most important of all - some quiet time.
Personal quiet time is very important.  It allows us  mentally, spiritually and physically to rest and recharge.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Take some time for yourself this weekend and have 'quiet time'.  Rest and recharge your mental, physical and spiritual aspects for a few hours.  Your body, mind and soul will appreciate the gift of appreciation you give them.  Have a great and safe weekend...the office will be closed tomorrow and will reopen on Monday.

Pony Up and Pull Up Those Boot Straps

I snuck away for two days to take my mother on holiday; we celebrated her 87th birthday.  Anyone who knows my mother knows that she doesn't leave her house unless she is fully dressed, hair, makeup and lipstick 'just so'.  She's pretty sharp and has a better social life than most 25 year olds.  We had some time for good talk over the past couple of days and one of our conversations was about life's twists and turns and that there are two kinds of people in this world...those who pull themselves up and get pro-active when the going gets tough and those who allow themselves to unravel and fall into depression.  An 87 year old who lived through the depression and all life's twists and turns doesn't waste her time; she says exactly what she thinks and doesn't sugarcoat her lines.  I'm fortunate to have realized at a much younger age that this life is short; don't beat around the bush - be direct; and when the going gets rough and tough, pull up your boot straps and pony up for the ride of life.  I arrived back into the office this morning and a dear friend of mine had sent me the following quote from Yehuda Berg, which I thought was so approprois after my days with my mother.  I'm sharing this with you today:

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  "Life is filled with obstacles and tests that sometimes knock us off our feet. When we do lose our balance and fall flat on our faces, it’s important to stand up again rather than to sink into doubt and depression...and dust ourselves off.  Getting up again generates greater spiritual Light in the world than if we had never fallen in the first place. The fact that we fell is not what’s important. True greatness is in the act of rising again."
Oh....and by the way....my mother has known all along that I've been riding a motorcycle and was just waiting for me to tell her (my brother tattled on me).  She was both thrilled and horrified when seeing the bike, but really dug my rhinestone-studded helmet.  That's my mother!

Variety is the Spice of Life

Doing the same routine day after day is boring and mediocre.  Your brain goes to mush, your muscles are so used to the same exercise routine, your physique will never improve....you become one-dimensional and dull.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Stop being boring, dull and uninteresting.  Break up the boredom and shake up your life's routine.  Try two new activities this weekend.  Instead of the gym, go outside and jump rope, ride a bicycle or go for a hike.   Swich up that boring burger on the bbq and try a whole fish wrapped in herbs and fresh lemon for you and your friends.  Variety is the spice of life; it keeps us young, fresh and stimulates both mind and body.  Variety will keep you sharp, witty and interesting!

It's Friday and Time For Vacance!

Well, folks!  It's Friday and time for me to say "stay cool, stay safe, have fun but not too much sun".  Whatever you do this weekend, do it with gusto!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Relax, Absorb, Participate, Share and Enjoy!  No matter what it is, follow those steps to health and happiness and share it with others.  The office will be closed the week of July 19th and reopen on July 25th.  I'll be on holiday, so there will be no blog next week.  Stay tuned for the 25th, when I'm sure I'll come back with more fun and interesting blogs!  Happy Weekend!

Make Someone's Day Special

This past weekend, I took my first two real motorcycle rides.  It's a bit daunting to be on the road, practicing downshifting, upshifting, braking...all on two wheels, going fairly fast and in traffic.  I was originally planning on going with just two other riders - one to ride in front of me and the other to take the back.  Well, before I knew it, there were two more riders who wanted to join along on the virgin ride.  It made me more nervous to think I might not brake quickly enough and smash into one of them.  Off we went up and down country roads, through curves and swerves, stop signs, lights...you name it.  All my riding companions went slow enough for my comfort level, but fast enough so I had to ride well enough to keep up the pace.  Every time we needed to stop for a light or stop sign, I was always asked 'are you ok?', 'do you want to keep moving'?  Their concern and camraderie was pretty amazing and touching.  The next day, I went out again with just one female rider who watched my back...it was up to me to learn the roads ahead, read and negociate the signs on the road and take on the swerves and curves.  By the end of the day, I was riding down the road, doing 55mph, experiencing all the different types of maneouvers I was taught in motorcycle safety school; the wind in my face and blowing bubbles from the bubble gum she gave me.  And there she was, riding at my back so no other vehicles would come close to me.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  You are blessed if you have comrades to help you through the daunting times of your life.  Embrace these people and appreciate them.  Then, when you are presented with an opportunity to help someone else, do it!  Remember, there was someone there for you!
A special thank you to all those wonderful riders who made my virgin rides memorable fun experiences I will take with me to a very old age.

A Single Act Creates Many Smiles

I started a little landscaping project a few weeks ago...my mission was to regain a portion of the parking lot at a friend's business.  I began shovelling phase 1:  20ft x 6ft x 3 ft of dirt and sand.  I was throwing the shovelfuls of debris into a dumpster one shovelful at a time.  An employee stopped and surveyed the scene and told me where I could purchase a wheelbarrow.  Off I went and got the wheelbarrow.  The task became much simpler.  A customer stopped by on his way into the service shop and asked me what I was doing.  Before long, he came back with another shovel and started to help me shovel through the mess.  I got to know who he was, where he lived, what his life was like.  After a while, his motorcycle was serviced and he apologized for not being able to stay longer and help.  I was very grateful...we're now friends.  After two days, 6 parking slots had been regained, brush and vines cut down and things were really looking up in the front of the place.  Clients stopped by and were so happy that they could now park their bikes in the shade.  The next weekend, the real task began....Phase 2 - another 20ft x 8ft x 5ft area that had been held hostage for about 20 years by weeds that had grown into 14ft trees, shrubs and weeds.  So, I bought a pair of overalls, a rake, and ate a good breakfast.  Wheelbarrows of debris were carted off to the woods across the road, where the birds, bunnies and other furry things and characters with wings claimed the debris as ingredients for their summer homes.  Funny....these animals never eat anything out of my herbal garden...they're happy to have building materials given to them with no effort or risk of harm (we have a deal!).  At one point, there was a root system that I just couldn't break thru with the shovel.  A customer who was waiting for service came over and suggested that he help.  He brought over an axe that he had in his RV.  Together, with two other clients, we managed to get that sucker free and out of the ground.  Now, full steam ahead!  The next weekend was the toughest....a 30 year old lilac bush that was breaking up the asphalt needed to be taken out...but there was no axe that would get this puppy out of the ground.  Before I knew it, employees and clients alike, all of whom had been observing my progress thus far came to the rescue.  Before I knew it, there were 6 of us working on the project with a forklift.  The roots were surgically cut so that the next door neighbor's foliage would not be damaged.  When we got the bush free, everyone helped to cut it up and get it into the wheelbarrow and into the woods.  Now...everybody wanted to know what was going to happen with all this empty space full of lousy soil and sand.  I am an optimist.  I said 'we are going to have a flowerbed here'.  The next morning, I had more recruits to help me at Lowe's to pick up hostas, plastic borders and some other supplies.  By the day's end, clients had come over to help me weed, dig, plant and water the new flowerbed.  This week, I've had volunteers to go over to the lot and water the new plants.  This weekend, another volunteer is offering his pickup truck and connections to get a bucket of mulch so that we can protect our new garden from the hot sun and make it look a bit prettier.  I just heard that the little old woman next door and her relatives came over to the shop yesterday to comment how wonderful our new flowerbed looks and how they are just so happy to be neighbors.  Another couple asked if I would administer their 10th anniversary vows (now that I've become an ordained minister) and since the parking lot now has a canopy, flowerbed and garden - could they do it there with all their other biker friends?  I don't think that should be a problem.  I'll wear my rhinestone-studded helmet to perform the ceremony.  You just can't make this stuff up, folks...

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Remember that one single act you initiate can create a waterfall of actions.  Whatever you do in life, do it with good intentions and those good intentions will spread.  Every day that I look at that flowerbed, I will remember all the smiling faces who shared in the experience.  My next project?  A 30 year old Sabrett cart that is dirty, disgusting and rusted.  It's going to become a flowercart soon...Harley Davisdon orange and black....of course!

Digging Dirt and Riding a Motorcycle

Just for fun today...I had the opportunity this weekend to help out some friends who needed work done in their dealership parking lot.  About 30ft by 4ft of years of accumulated dirt, vines, weeds and shrubs needed to be removed, so clients could park their motorcycles.  I volunteered to take on the task; I've had plenty of life experience weilding a shovel and spade and chopper; I haven't done this type of work in over 20 years and figured 'what the heck'?  After a few hours of chopping digging, sweeping and hauling dirt into a dumpster, I thought I'd take a break and take my virgin ride on my Buell Blast (500cc - just enough for me).  Having just obtained my motorcycle license a week ago, I practiced figure-8's over and over and over again in the parking lot until I was tired.  I then went back to my shovelling project.  Then, I polished the bike a little bit.  I did this seesaw of exercises all day long.  What I found out was this:  after a completely different activity, getting back onto the bike made the figure 8's easier and smoother.  Going back to my digging project gave me food for thought as I cleared more and more of the parking lot.  Polishing the bike was like prayer...silent meditative work.  At the end of the day, I felt great both physically and mentally...and slept great!  So...what's the point? 
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Diversify your activities; do something different every day.  This will help you think out of the box and revisit a task or activity with a fresh mind and attitude.  Next week, I know I'm ready for some side streets on the bike.  I've got about 12ft more to go in the parking lot.  I'm going to detail the bike.  Then, I'm going to think about expanding my herbal garden this year and practice riding so that I can take the bike up to the farmer's market and poke around a bit.

Musings on the Eve of 49

Ancient numerology was based on denominations of 10. This theorum is still used today. But the number 9 was very special because it represented the completion of a cycle. 9 is the number that preceeds a new beginning, a new decade. It's a 'wrap up'. The number 4 traditionally represented the culmination of self (1) duality (2), the trinity (3) in the real world (4). The earth has 4 corners, the square is an equal and harmonized form containing equal sides and equal angles. The number 49 represents the 'wrap up' of the solid and formidable 40's. 49 is the last year before embarking into 50 (5 being the number of uncertainty and the number that represents man..head and limbs). No wonder everyone makes their stake in their 40's and has a midlife crisis when they hit 50...it's only natural.  Hence, as I turn 49 tomorrow I think back on all the sinful fun I've had in my life thus far...how to top all the unbelievable events I've experienced until now?? Well, I've decided to make a list of what I'd like to accomplish during my last year of my 40's:  learn Italian, no whining, have more patience, be a better golfer, keep hitting heavy bags, get a makeover, become stronger and leaner, learn how to ride a motorcycle (don't tell my mother!), be a better physician, a better friend, learn how to decorate cakes, take my bestest human friend back to France to see my beloved Provence, do more yoga.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day: Whatever you've done and no matter who you are, there's always more. Make a list today and each day, try out a new idea or activity. See where it takes you. The unknown is exciting - go out on a limb. Embrace change and have the courage to tread unknown waters. Don't whine - it's boring.  Just think of all the fun you haven't even thought of having until this point!!  Tomorrow, I'm taking the day off.  Don't know what I going to do or where I'm going, but I'm going to do it with my bestest friend...I know we'll have fun! By the way...anybody got a creme for this turkey neck I seem to be getting the past 2 years??????!!!!

Yippee Zippee It's Friday Again!

Last night, a few of my friends donated a couple of hours towards a good cause.  Every year, the O'Toole's Harley Davidson Dealership of Wurtsboro, NY does a Santa Toy Drive and Santa visit to the Head Start Program up here in Sullivan County.  These children really have nothing.  Most show up with their best clothes for their one and only photo with Santa and their one and only Christmas gift.
Every year, my companion and I purchase and wrap 'goodie bags' for these kids (the cost of which comes directly out of his pocket and kindness).  Our friends come to donate their time to help us wrap these goodie bags.  Each child receives crayons, a coloring book, stickers, fake tattoos, a lollipop and some other fun little toys.  It's a wonderful evening...lots of talk and laughter and everyone feels so good about what they're doing.  CEOs of major financial institutions, Executive VPs from the communications industry and my favorite...an interior designer who insists that all the items she places in her goodie bags are color coordinated!  You gotta love it!  Food, drinks and the beginnings of new friendships always happen at my dining room table and all of us walk away feeling like we did something nice.  The nicest surprise of the day:  a dear friend of mine heard about the toy drive and went online to purchase 7 gifts for these kids.  She made sure they would be delivered to my home in time to have them wrapped and ready for the December 5th visit.  What an amazing act of kindness!!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  it doesn't cost money to volunteer an hour of your time towards a good cause.  There are many homeless shelters, orphanages and nursing homes where people just want to be recognized as being alive.  All it takes is a smile, a hello or an hour to listen to them.  Volunteer for something or someone this season.  You've not only made someone else feel better, but you've just saved lots of money on your own mental health.

Motorcycle Zen

Very often, patients tell me they have no time to meditate - 'life' gets in the way.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to hop on the back of a motorcycle for rather long periods of time over the two days.  As a passenger, I still must engage and participate with the driver; the bike, the passenger and the driver all must ride as one unit.  That being said, as a passenger, I also have the luxury of taking a good look at the scenery.  This past weekend, the leaves were orangey-red, bursting with specks of gold in sharp contrast to the green valleys and grey rocky mountains.  As we traversed through winding country roads flanked by rivers, streams or lakes, we enjoyed silent comradery at times.  This is when I found myself having one thought or emotion after another come to the front of my head.  As each thought or emotion arrived, I looked at it, engaged with it, allowed myself to 'feel' it, and then let it go.  At the end of the ride, I felt as if I had been sitting in zazen for hours, having thoughts and no thoughts; emerging from the experience feeling cleansed, the mind becoming an empty canvas ready to be painted with  imagination and naturalness.  It's Monday, and today I'm ready to reinvent a few aspects of my life.  Clear of the 'brain junk', I'm ready to push forward and create something extraordinary on that now-empty canvas.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  You don't have to sit in lotus pose for hours, nor do you have to get onto the back of a motorcycle to meditate.  Why not take your dog for a long walk in the park, or grab your significant other and walk or cycle in silent companionship.  Or just go take yourself for your own type of 'ride'.  But whatever you do, allow yourself to embrace, engage and let go of all the 'noise' in your head.  You'll arrive at your destination with a clear mind and a wonderful sense of peaceful contentment.

Slow Down and Look Around You

This weekend, I had the privilege of playing golf at a beautiful course that overlooked the Hudson Valley.  Saturday's weather couldn't have been nicer and a group of us went on a 2 hour motorcycle ride through Ulster County, NY.  Being on the back of the bike as a passenger allows me a bit more freedom to really engage in the surrounding environment.  We drove down winding country roads where horses, cows, chickens, turkeys and all sorts of fields painted a beautiful and interactive scenery no canvas could hope to compare.  The clean fresh air, blue skies filled with puffy white clouds provided the perfect light and temperature.  The smell of freshly cut hay, babbling brooks and crisp creeks gave curtsey to the wondorous aromas of the various trees, flowers and late summer foliage.  I tried to soak it all into my memory so that during the dark, cold, winter months, I'd have fond memories of the seasons to come.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  slow down and take a look around you.  Appreciate this season and take advantage of the wonderful weather we've been enjoying.  Go for a walk in the woods, take a canoe ride on a lake, and if you can't get out of the city...take advantage of our great city parks here in the Big Apple.  But slow down.....you don't always have to be in a hurry.  It's good for your head and your health!  Happy Monday!

It's Monday and I Have Not Much to Say Today

This weekend, I raised over $1100 for two charities.  I spent much of Saturday walking around the grounds of a local event with a money/ticket apron tied around my waist asking for donations to benefit a worthy music student's scholarship.  About 8 hours later, I drummed up approximately $900.  On Sunday, I donated my deceased dog's toys to a rural volunteer-based animal shelter.  My dog always shared her toys, and being a rescue dog herself who never had a toy until she met me, I didn't think she would mind if I gave the same opportunity so other homeless dogs who might like a toy to play with.  I was then invited by the director of the shelter to a local 'Dog Derby' event, where they would be raising awareness for their shelter.  So, they gave me a boatload of brochures and a plastic container and asked me to go see what I could do.  About an hour or so later, I returned with $200 in small bills and coins and promises and pledges from many animal lovers in the crowds that they would bring blankets, towels, brushes, treats and food to the shelter in the coming months.  Needless-to-say, the nearly impossible has occurred....I've talked myself into silence.  I've actually gotten tired of moving my lips and making noise.  So, today, I don't have much to say here, but I will share this with you....

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  It ain't easy working a crowd to ask for money.  It's not easy to donate your best friend's toys posthumously, nor is it easy to then walk through a crowd of about 100 dogs and their owners after you've lost your own best-est dog.  But sometimes, you just need to step up to the plate if you've got what it takes to make a good cause happen.  At the end of the weekend, I had many mixed emotions...happiness, gratitude, sadness, completion, and also emptiness.  All in all, though, there was synergy....the sum of the parts was greater than the whole.
Do something this week that forces you out of your comfort zone...volunteer to step 'out of your box'.  It might be uncomfortable, but your perspective and scope of vision will benefit and so will those whose lives you will touch.
Happy Monday.  I'll shut up now.

Plant Something Positive and Just Wait and See What Happens

I've been missing the 'zen of gardening' for many years.  Every weekend, I help a friend at his Harley Davidson dealership in the Catskills...basically, I'm the social liason.  This past weekend, I decided to do something social for the dealership - I planted an herb garden in back of an old shed they own just across the road.  The area is rocky and surrounded by overgrown bushes and brush, but, in my eyes (as a seasoned gardener from way back in the day), this spot has lots of sun, lots of drainage and is unmolested by human traffic.  This was the perfect spot for the official dealership community herb garden!
My cousin donated several plants from her own garden up in Columbia County for this project.   Chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint, pergamon and another lovely ______cherry plant (oops, I forgot!) were in the lineup.  Next stop was Home Depot for a pair of cotton gardening gloves, a short handled shovel (size matters when you're a small person digging) and a great spade.  It took about 2 hours to dig out a rectangular space, pull indigenous roots, weed and discard a boatload of rocks, but viola!  The herbs were planted and one of the owners of the dealership donated metal brackets to create a border.  The next day, it was off to the local farmers' market where the Cornell Agricultural School liason took an interest in what I was doing and pointed me in the direction to where I could purchase basil, thyme, rosemary and parsley.  At the end of the day, O'Toole's Harley Davidson of Wurtsboro, NY had its very own herbal garden.  Everyone at the store was curious and excited to see me going back and forth with a shovel and spade (aside from the 'burying the dead body jokes') and buckets of water and even more excited to know that this garden is for everyone to share.  In a few weeks, we will all be able to cut our own mint, parsley and other herbs for various uses. 

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Plant something positive today.  Whether it's a pot of herbs for your office to share, or a positive idea that can impact others or just a positive attitude for the day....like a garden, the good vibes will spread and like a little community garden, you'll put a smile on other people's faces.  At the end of the day, you'll feel really good!  I got to dig in the soil, create a garden and got some great exercise.  I've got big plans for an expanded garden for next year, but for the meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy some fresh mint tea today!