Here's to a wild, wonderful weekend

Who thinks up this stuff?

A winning combination confirmed

We all knew this, right?  We need periodic reminders to clear our calendars so that we have time to be with those we so thoroughly enjoy.  It's a respite that always refreshes.

From Linda:

This from a “Cal” friend … but some of those folks at Stanford are smart too!

 A thought to share
        ...  from a class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection--the relationship between stress and disease.  The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.  At first everyone laughed, but he was serious. 
      
Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps us to create more seratonin--a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being.  Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around  activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going.  Jobs? Yes.  Sports? Yes.  Cars? Yes.  Fishing, hunting, golf?  Yes.  But their feelings?--rarely. Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters, and evidently that is very good for our health.  He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. 
      
There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged--not true.  In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!  So every time you hang out to shmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health!  We are indeed very very lucky.   Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health. 

P.E. but not as you knew it

Today I’m practicing Preventative Eating.  I’ll pack some mini-meals in my purse and stash something healthy in the side pocket of my car.  No more dietary debacles. 

Yesterday:  Having eaten too little for breakfast, I was ravenous by 11 and completely incapable of driving past fast food restaurants while heading home from an appointment.  I totally lost the miniscule amount of self discipline I had.  And inhaled a Carl's Jr. lettuce wrapped Low Carb burger.  YES!   And fries. 

Things will be different today.  With Preventative Eating in place, I’ll be prepared.  I’ll eat before I’m actually hungry.  Then I'll brush my teeth immediately after.  A trick many mentioned at our workshops.

Next day:  How’d it go?  Very well.  Until evening.  I ate dinner, brushed my teeth and sat down to watch a movie. The film featured people consuming Croque Monsieur.  Clearly carb/fat deprived, I could not contain myself.  I ran as fast as my feet would carry me to the kitchen to make my own Healthy Version:  Whole grain muffins with cheese.   A LOT of cheese.  I stopped eating when I had polished off three.  Not a great way to start a diet.  Or to end an otherwise terrific day.

Tomorrow:  Preventative Eating.  Smart meals.  Teeth brushed.  Duct tape.  Isolation booth.

The best possible news

From Betty re: Kathi



"Jerry called at 5:15 and left this message ----------

Kathi is out of surgery and in recovery.  They have not seen her, but the doctor said that everything went well.  He feels that all of the cancer has been removed and that they did not have to do any re-sectioning  -------  which means that she will not have to deal with a colostomy.

He didn't know when she would be out of recovery.

 

I am beginning to cry.  I am so relieved for Kathi, for Jerry, for her children, and, selfishly, for me ---- for all of us --- her friends." 

There was, as Susie shared, "a collective sigh of relief."

Whew!  And thank you. 

Update on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 11:12AM by Lois

Surgery was a huge success. Mom did great!!!

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.  Mom's surgery went very well.  The doctor was amazed at how much the cancer had shrunk.  He said he was able to remove all of the disease from her body.  The cancer in the liver was gone and clear of all disease, so nothing had to be done to the liver.  She lost very little blood, so there was no need for a blood transfusion.  He was impressed about how receptive she was to the chemo and as we believe, it was a combination of the chemo, essiac tea, healthy diet,
energy healing sessions and everyone's love, thoughts and prayers.  She came out of recovery looking great.  She was up and talking, but still a little drowsy from the pain meds.

Tomorrow, she will be able to get up and walk around a little bit at a time and start eating.  She is so lucky to have such great friends and family to support her through this.  We will keep you updated and she will probably be home in 3 or 4 days,  ready to chat.

Dave

Dave Olson
dave@kayakchicago.com
www.kayakchicago.com
ph:(630) 336-7245
fx:(630) 541-6134

I bet all of us could contribute

some prize-winning photos, don't you think?

As I sort through thousands of old family pictures, I'm re-inspired to isolate the best of the worst and bring them to life with captions.   

No time like the present to get prepared for the holidays, right?  Could make great note cards or gift tags.  Or simply moments to remember.  No pressure.  Just a thought.

You might also enjoy:

Don't delete the duds

Brain-boosting info from Barb

"As I was sitting upstairs reading a book Matt gave me for Mother's Day, I was compelled to come down and, while I still 'remember' to do it, pass on the title to you, our great dispenser of shared and pertinent knowledge :) The title is The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind by Barbara Strauch AND it is fascinating and sooooo encouraging! Perhaps you already know about it. Matt heard it reviewed on NPR and ordered one for his 'middle-aged brain-dead' mom :) The first chapter is called 'Am I Losing my Mind?' . . . how appropriate is that! Anyway, it is VERY interesting and encouraging . . . for example from the first chapter , ' . . . it may be the very nature of how our brains age that gives us a broader perspective on the world, a capacity to see patterns, connect the dots, even be more creative.' Maybe I'm not so dumb after all even if I can't remember where I put my glasses :)"

Thanks so much, Barb. How fast can our fingers take us to Amazon.  Or our feet to a local bookstore.

Internet down so trying to post this via my iPhone. Can feel brain expanding beyond usual limits.

Here's to a happy, hands-on sort of weekend

Please continue your support.

And absolutely forward this link to other like-minded friends.  Come on, Kath!!!

"I have more good news.  The CAT scan that I had last Friday shows significant reduction in the ovarian tumors.  The largest one that was 14.8 X 7 X 11.4   is now 2.5 X 5.1.  Other lesions have also significantly improved or are no longer visible. The physicians assistant said that this was a remarkable result and that they do not normally see this rate of improvement.

Surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday, May 25th barring any problems.

If you believe in the great power of prayer as I do, you know you are part of this good news.  Thank YOU SO MUCH!  Please thank those who I don't even know and who have been praying for me.  I am overwhelmed to hear about the efforts on my behalf.

I hope to have one of my children send an update after surgery on Tuesday.

With gratitude,  Kathi"

Update on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 4:33PM by Lois

Earlier blogs with Kathi in mind:

OMGosh

Be strong.  Be brave.  Breathe, darling friend

Dear dear Kathi,

Not the news we wanted to hear

Sending you, dear Kathi, the strength, tenacity, boldness, beauty and power of spring

May this be a lantern to illuminate

To, for and from Kathi

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad day turned GREAT DAY!!!

Homegrown and Very Happy

Thinking about chillin' with a chicken?  Excellent.  They are, without a doubt, the easiest pet you’ll ever encounter.  A little food.  Vegetable scraps from the kitchen.  Fresh water.  A place to perch.  A cage to protect them from predators.  And you’re good to go.

Free range, fresh eggs are remarkable.  You’ll never ever want to eat store bought again.  Ever.  My friend, SB, concurs.  She called to say that she was saving today’s collection because they’re so beautiful. Wait until she actually cracks one open.  Susan will never go back. Unbelievably colorful yolks/great flavor.  Dave wants to tell you that the white is much better as well.  “It doesn’t run, like your nose, as does the store-bought variety.”  Simply superior.  He’ll be delighted, I’m sure, that I shared that.

Who knows how my/our journey with chickens began.  The same genes that prompted my mother to pick me up from school with a goat in the car apparently made its way to this generation.  While I never had chickens as a child, we did have almost everything else.  In a very small yard.   

Meet Stormy, my pet pigeon. I tied a string to his leg so he could fly.  But not away.  Poor bird.

And there was Puff /with her back to the camera/ our first dog other than Trixie who was given to Aunt Lil and Uncle Mont.  I never got the straight story about why what was once My Christmas Present was given away.  But I loved the fact that Aunt Lil and Uncle Mont had her as their only “child.”  I also had an imaginary friend named Silly.  We set a place at the table for her each night. Then one day my mom said that Silly was dead.  This, I would imagine, was not a good day for me. 

A new friend commented after reading a recent blog entry, “You can't make this stuff up!”

Yep, Silly apparently bit the dust one day in Park Forest, Illinois.  I’m sure Mom just got sick of setting the table and decided to have one less at dinner that night.  I wasn’t an easy child.  I stuck my foot in a manhole cover and they needed to call the fire department to extricate me.  I remember climbing out the window and running down the street with my mattress/not an easy feat.  And ultimately I hopped on a plane in the middle of the night to fly from Miami to Illinois to be with the love of my life, Dave. And to go to college.  

I returned home to Florida many, many years later.  That will be another days’ writing. In short, I gave my mom a run for her money.  We also need to discuss the Enneagram one day because that explained a LOT about our relationship.  I’d buy David Daniels book now/it could change your life. That will be another discussion but if you can't wait/I wouldn't/then look on the BOOKS, ETC. section.  

I’m finding it hard to contain my laughter reading this to Dave, the love of my life, because it so shows you what ADHD is like.  It’s a gift.  But I better get back to the chickens. 

When the boys were little, I purchased an incubator and fertile eggs.  We marked an X on each so that all the kids in the neighborhood could shuffle them around several times a day much as a mother hen would do.  Twenty one days later, a miracle.  Chicks emerging from their shells.  Remarkable! The adults were astonished/we thought the event was lost the kids.  Not at all.

So now that you're totally taken with the idea, where to find your first chicks?  DO NOT order them by mail.  I think that is far too cruel.  Can you imagine being put in a box and shipped USPS?  Not good.  If you live in the SF Bay Area, Half Moon Bay Feed and Fuel always carries babies/assuming you don’t want to go the incubator route.  Otherwise, Google a source in your area.  I’ve since found breeders who handle Stunningly Special varieties. Very well priced/as in under $10.

Chickens last around seven years.  Don’t become too attached.  Or do.  But be willing to deal with death every so often.  And add babies to your flock periodically to keep the eggs coming/production dwindles as they age.  We currently have twelve or so.  And there's a rooster in there who has kept his lips zipped until now.  Wouldn't it be fun to let some of the eggs hatch?  We've never done that.

Just be thankful that I eliminated the rest of this blog.  Can you imagine? 

 I can.

And so can Dave.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad day turned GREAT DAY!

Have been in bed today recouping from flu/something I ate.  Hoping to recoup and be back on track tomorrow.  And my complaints are so incredibly insignificant compared to this:

I had to check email before signing off for the night for an update from Kathi.   And there's Great News!  Thank you all for continuing to keep my darling friend in your thoughts and prayers.  Please, please, please continue.

"The physicians assistant from Rush called me this afternoon to tell me that my CT scan was remarkable!  I will go in on Thursday and talk to her and then get set up for surgery in the next two weeks.  Needless to say this made my day.  I will know more details on Thursday and will send out a big email but wanted you to know sooner."

YES!!!

Study: A Link Between Pesticides and ADHD

Thanks, Linda, for this important link.

Update on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:58PM by Lois

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Eggcellent news!

The much-maligned egg is making a comeback.  YES!  And for good reason.  Besides being rich in vitamins and minerals, eggs are packed with six grams of protein and all nine essential amino acids. 

They are an excellent source of choline, vital for fetal and infant brain development.  Which is also good for boosting memory and brain function for those of us who have been out of the uterus for a while. 

This power-packed product is rich in lutein, key to eye health, particularly with regard to macular degeneration and cataracts.

And there’s even more good news. Studies have shown that egg consumption actually facilitates weight loss.  When eaten for breakfast, they keep hunger at bay, thereby reducing calorie consumption throughout the day.  ALL RIGHT!  

Outgoing:  Egg Beaters.  Incoming:  Farm Fresh. 

Update on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 7:19AM by Lois

Check for yourself.  And, of course, with your doctor.  Particularly if you are diabetic or have elevated cholesterol.  For additional information, Google "the health benefits of eggs" or "studies on eggs."

Aunt Lil hopes that you, too, enjoy your weekend.

Whoever loves and understands a garden will find contentment within.

                                                                                                                                          Chinese Proverb

Tea for two

Or coffee for one.  Either way it's incredibly easy. 

Easy is good but less acidic is even better.  A substantial sixty-seven percent less.  Superior for sensitive stomachs.

How did I find this alternative?  I like a good cup of coffee.  I'm not a fan of using industrial-sized coffee makers for meetings/the flavor is more Vending Machine than Home Brewed. 

So for fall FP workshops I ordered what I thought would be a compact/cute/cardboard box from a local/great coffee shop.  I had no idea how many women would be coffee drinkers.  To be safe, I planned for twice the number of women attending.  Bad idea/the bill was astronomical. 

Here’s what I ultimately found to be a far Superior Solution:  The Toddy Cold Brew System.  And it's a system that I continue to use for my daily dose.  The concentrate stays fresh in the fridge for weeks.

Read the reviews.   I have Peet's coffee ground to "12"/very coarse. 

Boil some water.  Set out the cups.  Teach the first person who arrives how to concoct a cup.  That person instructs others who, in turn, tutor the following takers.  It’s a prize-winning, participatory combination.  Check it out, particularly if you're a fan of iced coffee.  Summer's coming.

Toddy Cold Brew System

Click, copy, enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SrZJexfl94&feature=player_embedded

Whoa.  Apparently it's never too late to follow your dreams!  What wild/wonderful thing are you going to do?

Rosie, the Riveter, move on over, sweetheart. We're planting some berries!

Strawberries consume a tremendous amount of lateral legroom.  Space that most of us don’t typically have.  But most of us do have room to expand vertically. 

But, really, why bother?  There are wonderful local Farmer's Markets where we can find farm-fresh, right?

Here's the difference:  foraging for your own at home is great fun. And, for little ones, it helps connect the dots about where our food really comes from.

I found wine barrels on Craig’s List, $40 each.  Substantially less expensive than other sources.  Only issue:  Getting them home.  But I’ve always wanted to drive a truck.

The following article, from University of Florida, describes the process I used many years ago to single-handedly construct the pot pictured in yesterday's blog. 

I’d make two changes:  Increase the size of the PVC from the then-recommended 3/4" to something more substantial/I remember thinking that watering was slow and that it didn’t disperse as well as I had hoped.  

Secondly, since it took far too long and several smoking/burned out drills to cut the holes, I stopped short of the recommended number of planting pockets. Production wasn’t what it could have been.  Investigate finding someone with a drill press to help with this task.  My friend, Bob, is bringing something my way tomorrow that he thinks will do the job.  Without smoke.

So, here goes...  Have fun!  I'll be there with you/whatever happened to that old one, anyway?

Growing Strawberries In Barrels

J. M. Stephens and S. J. Locascio

Would you like to grow your own strawberries, but you feel that you do not have enough available space? Then why not use the space-saving barrel method. Each year, about 30 pints of strawberries may be obtained from one 55 gallon barrel (drum) on which 40 to 50 plants may be grown.

MATERIALS NEEDED TO GET STARTED

1. Barrels or drums - commonly found are 30 gallon or 55 gallon sizes, either metal, wood, or "plastic" (PVC).  I would NOT use plastic.

2. Pipe section - about 30 inches of PVC, gutter, or stove pipe (3-4" diameter) is needed for watering and feeding.  This is a much better option than what I used.

3. Coarse gravel - enough small pebbles to cover the bottom of the barrel; up to 2 inches will be needed for good drainage.

4. Hole puncher - some means of cutting hole or slits in the sides and bottom of the barrel will be required, such as an axe, chisel, or acetylene torch.  Torch? Axe?

5. Good garden soil - should be clean for best results. Do not use peat or muck, unless mixed well with sandy soil. Be sure soil is well limed to pH of 6.0 - 6.5  I don’t have muck so I’m going with garden store variety.

6. Coarse sand - to fill watering pipe.  I never did this.  May not do it this time either/will check in with others more educated on this front.

7. Fertilizer - 6-6-6 or 6-8-8 is best, but soluble forms may be used.

8. Plant Mulch - 1 1/2 mil black plastic mulch to cover the soil surface (or organic mulch).  I’ll be going organic.

9. Strawberry plants - old standard varieties are Florida Ninety, Tioga, and Florida Belle. Some newer varieties are: Dover, Tufts, Chandler, Oso Grande, and Sweet Charlie.

What to Do:

1. Prepare barrel by cutting out top (having this done by Craig's List seller) and thoroughly washing to remove any material that may injure plants. It is optional whether the bottom is cut out or left intact.  Cut out the bottom?  If not removed, four or five 2 inch diameter holes should be made in the bottom for drainage.

2. Cut holes or slits into the side of the barrel to receive the plants. Holes may be cut in metal using an acetylene torch. If an axe or chisel is used, the holes are much easier to cut if the barrel is filled with soil. Holes or slits should be about 3 inches long; then the top of each slit should be pushed in to form a cup.  I definitely will not be using an axe.  OMG/can you imagine?  Half my leg hacked off.  Not good.

Hole should be spaced 8 inches apart around the barrel, and 8 inches apart up and down the barrel. Each hole should be placed diagonally to those above and below it. Holes should be 8 inches from the bottom of the barrel and 5 inches or so from the top.

3. Prepare the soil for use by thoroughly mixing one quart of 6-6-6 or 6-8-8 analysis fertilizer into 55 gallons of soil.  This sounds like a good idea.

4. Fill bottom two inches of the barrel with coarse gravel.

5. Drill or punch holes (nail size) in the sides of the pipe; distribute them 1-2 inches apart over the entire surface of the pipe to allow even watering throughout the barrel. Place the section of pipe into the center of the barrel; it should be standing upright with one end resting on the gravel. Fill the pipe with coarse sand.  What do you think about that?  I'm still considering this option.

6. Shovel in garden soil onto the coarse gravel and around the pipe, until the level of the first (lower) row of hole has been reached. Firm the soil.

7. Set the strawberry plants into the bottom row of holes. Spread the roots in a fan-shape fashion onto the soil and cover to hold in place. Be careful not to cover the crown (bud). Set plants October - November in Florida.

Then shovel in soil up to the next row of holes. At this point it is desirable to lightly sprinkle the soil with water. Set plants and repeat the soil filling, watering, and plant-setting until the top row of holes are set. Then add soil to within 1 inch of the barrel top and place plastic mulch/nope/over the soil surface. Tuck the edge of the mulch between the inside of the barrel and the soil. Cut hole or slits and set plants on top about 8 inches apart around the pipe. Then water the plants. It is best to set plants during a cloudy day or late afternoon so that plants have time to become established being placed in hot sun.

8. The barrel should be placed so that plants will get full sunlight. Water will probably be needed about twice weekly and should be added by pouring into the pipe. Monthly applications of additional fertilizer is needed; 1/2 of the same fertilizer can be dissolved in a gallon of water to distribute the fertilizer through the pipe.

9. To insure best results, each year the barrel should be emptied, fresh soil added, and new plants set into the barrel.  Perhaps ideal but…

10. Disease control - to control leaf spots and fruit rots, use an approved fungicide applied once a week. Insects are usually not a problem.

11. Caution - Insecticides and fungicides are safe when used as directed on the labels. Nope, not using insecticides on anything we eat. Take care to store unused portions safely and discard used containers properly. Keep poisons out of reach of irresponsible people. Or little kids/who are the irresponsible people?

What matters most to you

That's essentially what we communicate to our children and our children's children, don't you think?  

Recently I've written about the important people in my life and their love of being in and around the garden. 

Simultaneously, I've been sifting through thousands of pictures taken since our first child was born. 

One early theme was consistently reflected in my photos:  Get out into the garden.  Dig in the dirt.  Which we did together.

And, from what my kids tell me, being in the garden was an important part of growing up.  As a mom of two Unbelievably High Energy Boys, getting outside helped channel some of their intensity.  We all slept much better after a day digging in the dirt.

Here's a vintage look back at one of many "get out into the garden" experiences:  A barrel full of food and fun for little fingers.  

  

I have the barrels tracked down, need to rent a truck or bring many bungee cords for the wine barrel transfer.  Also have a few new ideas about recreating what I constructed many, many years ago.

Wheel it anywhere

Looking for a short/fun summer project for the little one/s in your life?  

Get them outside and into your garden.  Yon say you don't have one?  Or that it's completely planted?  Not a problem.  Create the following portable project that you can wheel anywhere.

What you need:

• A wagon.  I searched everywhere for a sturdy version with good drainage. Finally found one on, you guessed it, Amazon.  Garden Bronco Metal Wagon
• 1-2 large bags of potting soil
• Assorted herbs, lettuce, tomato and strawberry plants. Cucumber, zucchini, perhaps. Nasturtium seeds.

 Here’s how to do it:

• Stabilize bag/s.  We thought that two propped together might work well.  Both sagged a bit but they're definitely not falling off the wagon. 
• Open bag top to plant tomato, zucchini and/or a cucumber plants.
• Poke holes down the front/carefully insert strawberries.
• Do the same on the bag back to accommodate little lettuce plants. 
• Add herbs down both sides.
• Poke nasturtium seeds in soil for edible color/perhaps a few marigolds as well. 
• Wheel to sunny locations or hey, take it for a walk.
• Water as necessary.

OK, I agree that initially your portable garden's not the prettiest thing in the world.  But give it time. And water. Take it for periodic walks so that it has plenty of sunshine.   

You might notice that we didn't follow any of the instructions I just gave you.  I found my notes after planting had begun.  The point is to have some fun/be creative/think outside the box.

And, together, watch your garden grow.  

Here's to a day full of surprises

 

Happy Mother's Day!