Wheat Belly

I think I have the link established now. My apologies. And thank you, Sadami, for pointing out my omission. It is a most interesting read, as well as the other article I posted by Dr. Eades.
Wheat Belly

Nutrition and health in agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers

A few years ago, I became quite interested in the question of the "beginning of civilization". From my reading, I gather that somewhere in the area of the Tigris and Euphrates River area - the Fertile Crescent - a change was made over from hunter-gatherer to cultivator, and with it, the development of larger social groups of an hierarchical nature. The archeological site in Turkey, at Gobleki Tepe, is proving to be a fascinating find. It is over 11,000 years old, and appears to be the first organized effort at building a large community site.
The development of larger social groups could only come about with access to a food source. That's the connection to cultivated grains, especially wheat. From there, I have been following an information trail to the effects of a largely wheat-based diet, and on to the hybridization [and other modern manipulation] of our food crops. It really is quite fascinating, and a bit frightening, too. Along with our large consumption of wheat products have come a host of ailments, and with "modern" wheat, the effects are not even known.
Anyway, I thought I would take a diversion from painting. I hope you enjoy the read and the mind-jolt.



Nutrition and health in agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers

oh boy, it's snowing ... SO I'M PAINTING

I finally got Buddy to the stage where I could remove the masking.  Some of the last black w/w washes were rather intimidating, black paint oozing everywhere. I know that's why I had been procrastinating; I did not want to start Buddy the VIII. I think it's OK, but needs a lot of finishing.

I left Missy here ...

I started adding depth to her body. I may have to be more intense with  hue, as the head and neck look so wrong now. Looking at it, I thought some pink, blue and burnt orange, delicately applied would help.

The weather is most un-Spring-like; most days we have some snow falling but not staying. I feel so sorry for Bruno, out in his somewhat soggy paddock. I know it's not doing his feet any good, so I've started putting his hay in the stall where it's dry; for some reason he's not thrilled with the arrangement, or just unused to it, but he'll be fine. It's too miserable to ride outside, so I've taken to hand-walking him in the park, where the footing is hard. That way, we BOTH get some exercise! :)

She's Not Finished, but I HAD to Share

I masked the chick's perimeter, and the corn at her feet, and did a different w/w wash.
I REALLY like the effect - subtle, but gives a bit of depth.

Some quin. burnt orange and aureolin on her neck.

Varied greys of aureolin, pink and cobalt blue on her body, and some more intense blue-black on her neck.

She just looks so busy, in a chicken-ish sort of way. She makes me smile - I had to share.
Actually, I am having so much fun painting her, I almost feel guilty!

Cat-Proofing Your Computer ... and Other Animal Stories ...

This is how I cat-proof my computer. Miss P. had developed a love of lying on the keyboard; she  [temporarily] deleted a few programs. So now when I leave for more than an hour, I put the keyboard out of reach of curious paws.

She also did this to the bathroom wall a few weeks  ago. Missy now has a scratch pad on which to vent her cattish frustrations. Up until two years ago, I would let the chinchillas loose for some time out of the cage. They DEMOLISHED the bathroom; I had to have it re-finished. So now free time for them is never unattended! They also did some decorative nibbling on my saddle. It was one I wasn't using at the time, and I couldn't bear to look at it after they did their handiwork. They are like a miniature army, chewing and nibbling their way through everything.
But, enough of the "useless mouths", as a friend calls them ...

I think I am done with this iris. I'm not wild about the colors, but it's done.

Buddy, in his Van Gogh look.

And dear Buddy is moving along slowly.

I Think I Must Dip into the Yellow ...

It seems I'm on an iris roll, and this shape was irresistible,

 ... as was this color.

I blocked in shadows with on orange/pink mix [both staining colors].

Then I started some w/w on the petals with aureolin and orange.

I put in a thin orange wash over the background.

Then, I painted w/w, with darker, denser pigments, and allowed the paint to flow.
The background has shown the iris to be a bit washed out, so this is where I will have to go in again with yellow, and probably orange.

Yesterday ... and It Really Did Feel Like All My Troubles Were So Far Away ...

Shayna and Lucy ready to set out.

Cool tree growth.

Pat and Les Girls heading over a still-snowy bridge.

Another cool tree formation.

Look up ... way up!

It was so clear and bright. 

Another beauty of a tree.


It was a glorious and energizing day. I had my sister's Boxers for the day, so we joined Pat and her 2 girls, and went out into the park for almost 2 hours. When we got home, I decided to play with the lad, too. He is finally catching on to the concept of inside leg aides - very important for all types of riding. I even managed to get some painting done.