The DieDie Blog

A while ago I was asked by my friend Carly to go and check out a Japanese bath and tea garden. All psyched up to go I made the rather startling discovery that I was pregnant. And so began the new direction in my life. Unfortunately, that also meant I was unable to go to the garden. Recently, Dustin reminded me that Carly and I had, had this plan oh so many months ago. This was how we ended up visiting the Chozu Gardens in Ashland this past Saturday.

We arrived at the Gardens and waited patiently at the counter where we were handed a lamented sheet describing the rules while the lady tended to someone on the phone. They were fairly straight forward. No sexual acts or overtones while in the tubs. No loud voices, people were there to meditate and relax after all and other such fun regulations. Once we had the lady’s full attention we were checked in, handed towels, wraps, flip flops, and given a guided tour of the facilities.

The only other spa like place I had been to was the Jackson Hot Springs and while they are ok with their own swimming pool, the Gardens tended to be a step above. The atmosphere when you enter the “portal to tranquility” makes you feel like you are there to relax. Leave your cares at the door because beyond this point it’s all about you. Even the walls where painted with serene trees and a pastel skyline. Our guide pointed out various things as we made our way to the changing area. Below the pastel tree wall was a small pond, not for dipping in, and a cold water plunge for just in case you get too hot in the springs. Next to this was a sealed off section containing a private bath garden. Now keep in mind that as we’re walking through this area we are exposed to the gorgeous blue sky above us. I can only imagine how beautiful the private bath would be for two with the stars twinkling above.

Onward we went around the corner to the actual public bath garden. It was a wonderfully curved pool complete with a stone waterfall at it’s base. It even had jets you could turn on to work out those particular stubborn muscles in your back. We were both excited now. Next to the pool was a large room for the sauna and a small table containing essential life giving water. Even though it’s a simple concept, the act of providing free water to those that are about to be dehydrated by an hour and half of glorious heat treatments, was very endearing. Sometimes the little things go a long way to making your experience extra special. We were then introduced to the changing/shower rooms.

Fairly simple, the shower rooms provided three areas from which to rinse off and also housed the steam room. Now before this time I had always assumed a steam room and a sauna were the same thing. Nope, I was wrong. A steam room actually uses steam to heat up the room and cause you to sweat like you were caught in a torrential down pour. Whereas the sauna does a similar effect just with plain old temperature. Least that’s what my experiences taught me at the Gardens.

So all prepared we were and after rinsing off we attempted the steam room first. After about 30 seconds, we couldn’t see each other even though we were roughly 5 feet apart. I’d like to say we could stand it for about 5 minutes. Reality would probably tell us we only survived 2 minutes. Either way, we had our fill and I swear my lungs were swimming with fluid. So quickly and with giggles we fled the steam and headed out to the main attraction. Armed with our wraps we descended the steps into the hot springs and I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t actually that hot. It was a decent temperature. The more I sat in the water, however, the hotter it became. That was all well and good for me as I love the heat.

We had positioned ourselves on a slight ledge in the hot spring where the jets were placed. And by jove did they work. Moving slightly we were able to position our backs and massage away any aches and pains in our muscles. Combined with the heat it was pure bliss. But it wasn’t just the heat that made everything so tranquil. It was the fact that we could stare up at the clear blue sky and feel the gentle breeze graze across our faces.

I’d have to say it was just one of those perfect days. Everything fell into place, the world seemed a bit brighter, and we both had satisfying conversations on how content we were with our lives. It’s rare those instances where you find yourself counting your blessings instead of bitching about the annoying things in life.

We sat in the pool for what seemed like forever chatting about various topics; all the while feeling the stress and grime of the past week fall from our bodies and minds. But as with all things our curiosity got the better of us and so we decided to check out the sauna. We made a pitstop at the water table and I made sure to drink a couple of cups of water before entering. Inside it was dark and hot…very hot. We climbed up on one of the back ledges and sat there with a couple of other ladies. Half naked ladies awwww yeah. I forgot to mention that this place is also clothing optional. Bathing suits need not apply. =p

But anyway, about 2 minutes into our foray into the sauna I begin to notice something strange. And to confirm this strangeness I took a deep breath through my nose…biggest mistake ever! The sensation that I had been experiencing was a burning on my upper lip which was only exemplified when I drew in a deep breath, however, the burning then traveled up my nose instead. Ouch! So I turn to Carly and inform her that if you take a deep breath you’ll burn your nostrils. What does she do? Yup! lol Confirmation on two fronts! It was hard not to giggle about it. Eventually, we could take it no more and exited the sauna. The water table was again a most precious resource.

We got back into the hot springs which had gained a few extra people. These ladies were older and completely naked as well. Now, don’t get me wrong I’ve got nothing against anyone being naked. And one can’t help but glance at the same things even though we have them too. Yes, I’m saying I glanced at their boobs. I couldn’t help it! One of the ladies had a really nice pair and for being as old as her face looked it was quite remarkable how well they held up. I was actually wondering if they were real or not. But either way, the ladies were enjoying the pool just the same as the rest of us, even if they did float by us several times doing the back stroke O.O.

We wrapped up the day with another jaunt in the steam room this time lasting much less than the first time. We showered and rinsed off with the lemon salt scrubs the tour lady had given us and left for the day. But even as we left I felt so incredibly relaxed and content. I had even managed to get some chakra work done while in the pool. The energy was just amazing. I definitely look forward to returning to the Chozu Gardens soon and Carly and I even talked about making it a girl’s night out event. Certainly would be a wonderful time.

So if you are in the area and need a good quiet soak centralizing on peace and relaxation, check out the Chozu Gardens in Ashland, OR. It’s definitely worth the measly $25 for 90 minutes of bliss.

When Dustin and I go out on our night time car rides we sometimes like to check out the houses around our neighborhood. We do this so that we can get ideas for when it comes time to buy our own house. One of our biggest concerns, however, is not how big the back yard is going to be or how many bedrooms the house has, no. Our biggest concern is how well can this house hold up against the impending zombie apocalypse.

First we check out the windows and doors. While I do enjoy large glass doors I understand that they don’t hold up well against rampaging zombies. So in order to still get the doors I want I need to think about reinforcing them with steel bars. If they are built in the shape of vines, however, we can still pull off the fancy/pretty look without sacrificing defense. Check out Exhibit A as an example:

Now that I think, is a good zombie door. Sure they could still smash the glass but in doing so they’d get their arms caught in the design. Then BAM! A chainsaw will take care of those waving limbs. Kinda hard for a zombie to eat your brains with no hands. So at least I know with a door like this we’d have the entrance covered.

Next on our fortification list is the number of stories the house has. I’d prefer a house with at least two stories. Stairs can provide a natural funnel effect great for limiting the number of zombies rushing at you at any given point. If there’s a balcony overlooking the main hall even better! High points are excellent sources of attack. Just think of all the things you could rain down on unsuspecting zombie heads!

Finally, location location location! Ideally, I’d like to have the house at the top of a hill surrounded by a gated wall. Once again having the high ground provides natural benefits. If it’s on a cliff even better! This will help safeguard against multiple attack points. You’ll be highly screwed if the zombie attack you’re in comes with rock climbing zombies though, so let’s hope we don’t get those kind.

You never know just when a zombie apocalypse will strike. So remember, the next time you’re out looking for houses, keep these defensive thoughts in mind.

A random Lawn Gnome has appeared!

Quickly! The person to leave me the best caption comment for this photo gets a batch of my delicious Herbie Sausage Rolls.

Good Luck!

What’s for dinner? Why DieDie’s pork chops, steamed broccoli and home made cheese sauce that’s what! Tonight I’m going to walk you through one of my regular dinner selections. It’s a combination of my own experiments and a recipe I found online. So without further a do lets dive right into this simple tasty recipe from my kitchen to yours.

We’ll take this one step at a time. First up pork chops.

Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 Thick Cut Porks Chops
Olive Oil
Pepper
Sazon Seasoning (1 packet)
Garlic Seasoning
Adobo Seasoning

Take the pork chops and cut off the fat. Be sure to have the pork chops on a chopping board or plate as the sazon can sometimes stain things. Then proceed to rub the sazon, garlic, adobo, and pepper into first one side of the pork chops and then the other. You should get a nice red color from the sazon. In a pan, add the olive oil and heat to a simmer. Next, place the nicely seasoned pork chops into the oil CAREFULLY! It should take about 20 minutes, flipping occasionally to let the seasoning cook into both sides of the chop.

Now take some broccoli and place it in a metal strainer. Set up a pot half filled with water and heat til boiling. Place the strainer over the water and let it steam cook. Placing a sauce pan lid over the broccoli helps to speed up the process.

While that’s cooking, lets get the cheese sauce together. This recipe is delicious and quick to make. I found the recipe on about.com by Diana Rattray, so please give props to the original posted here.

Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or smoky flavor Cheddar cheese

First we’re going to melt the butter; then remove from heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually add in the milk, stirring until it’s well mixed. Make sure you stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it’s nicely thickened and smooth. Then cook it for an additional 5 minutes. Add in the grated cheese and stir until smooth and well blended. Viola! We have awesome cheese sauce to go along with our steamed broccoli and gorgeous pork chops!

Enjoy!