Hi again!
I was so excited that my blog post worked that I wanted to start updating you on stuff. Unsure where to begin with that, I decided to “start where I am,” so took my camera around and took pictures of various things on what had been a good day recently. I was going to post the pictures that night, but was feeling kind of off color, so didn’t. The next day was a big crash day, so here over a week later I am bubbling up to the surface, thinking about that post again! I’ll put the original pictures up, plus those from the next day too. What better way to update you than to show you the Reality.
These green shakes I’ve been making are delicious and nutritious: pineapple, green apple, fresh ginger piece, spinach, parsley, rice milk, milk thistle seed, pumpkin/sesame/sunflower seeds, turmeric powder, protein powder, brewer’s yeast, spirulina, kelp powder.
Unloading coffee grounds, to be spread in the gardens.
I love flower gardens even in Winter — the browns and the branches.
This soup was so good. Black eyed peas for New Years — soaked near the woodstove as pork neck bone broth simmered on top of the woodstove. Then the black eyed peas cooked on top of the woodstove in the broth, as I thawed some frozen cooked-together zucchini and onions from this year’s garden, and opened a home-canned jar of homegrown organic heirloom tomatoes! Mixed all of this together, ate with chunks of avocado, and oh my gosh!!!
That kombucha did eventually get bottled much later in the week…
…but there were more important things to do.
Next day.
Maximizing that sun patch, with freezing chills.
Fever of 103.5°
Anymore, I let fevers burn. After a bad experience several years ago while bringing down a 104° fever with tylenol (like that weird movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), I thought Never Again. “Why do we do this?” I started to wonder, why disable this potentially helpful immune response? Later on, I came across Anthroposophical medical literature (Steiner-based — like Waldorf schools and biodynamic agriculture) where their view is that fevers are healers not to be tampered with. Burn off the dross! Top, top priority is keeping up with oral hydration though, that is for sure!
My standard hydration thing for when I’m sick is diluted juice. About 1/3 juice, 2/3 water. I always have several jugs of apple juice on the back shelf for times like this, just in case.
If you’re guzzling diluted juice, don’t forget your other electrolytes. Potassium and sodium are easily washed out with lots of liquid consumption. If you have a huge nonstop headache unrelieved by hydration, try getting more salt in. I like Ume Plum Vinegar in some warm water, like a salty broth drink. It’s your one-stop salt shop, with an astounding 1050mg (44% daily value) sodium in 1 tsp (5mL). It’s also really good mixed into plain yogurt as a salad dressing, for when you’re not sick. 😉
Potassium powder is cheap at the health food store (or buy it at grocery stores in the salt section as the “NoSalt” brand potassium chloride salt substitute). The NOW brand in the picture has 365mg (10% daily value) in 1/8 tsp (0.7 g). By comparison, a medium banana has ~420mg of potassium. The way I take the potassium is put some water into my mouth, measure the powder and dump it into my mouth, swish to dissolve, and swallow. Down the hatch.
And if you’re blowing your nose a lot like I am this time, these two are my favorite things to rub on, in, and around my chafed nose and upper lip: Weleda Calendula Diaper Rash Cream (goes on white but rubs in) and Alaffia brand Africa’s Secret.
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I’m doing better. I’d been noticing something simmering since Christmas, a lung exacerbation (a flaring-up of the ever-present infection where there is lung scarring), and then I think this was just some wandering virus on top of that which really came on like a Mac truck. Not the flu, but some other thing. F came down with it too, several days later. We’re both better but not best. I’m still “running warm” with some lung unhappiness. Hanging really low, taking it slow.
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May you be keeping healthy and warm!
*****
OMG dear Lindsey, 103.5, my heart hurts for you and sends healing thoughts. And there is Raisin giving you comfort, good kitty. Couldn’t help but notice your woolly socks with sheep. Glad they are keeping you warm. Blessed are the days when you feel more yourself, may you have more of them. Love, Kate
Thank you! Very encouraging to see that you are so like me 🙂 There is something to be said for a sleeping garden bringing peace to the soul.
Thank you Kate for your warm healing wishes from your heart…. and much love back to you. Those sheep socks are well loved and worn often! And yes – it is very lucky that I have little Lizzie has my live-in Nurse!!!
Much, much love.
Mary you are a kindred spirit… the sleeping garden does bring peace to the soul, that is a perfect way of saying it. The Winter garden is so restful; I love the look of it. Long dry grasses and dry sunflower stalks and all the textures and muted colors… yes.
I’m so glad that you’re back writing Lindsey!
I have often thought about you over the years. I’m a mom of three now therefore very busy so I ditched following most of the blogs but I kept the link to yours on my Favorites tab.
I’m preparing for surgery next week and I find your related posts very useful.
Smart move not to bring the fever down. My kids’ pediatrician practices Anthroposophical medicine and she says that we should never bring down a fever.
Weleda calendula creme is also a staple at our house 🙂
Love, Evi
Evi! I can’t believe I just now saw this comment; I’m so happy to hear from you!!! I have thought of you over the years too, wondering how you and your family are. I am happy to hear there are three little ones to enliven your home now!
Thank you for the comment — it’s so good to hear from you. I hope your surgery went OK?
Love,
Lindsey
Oh, here you are again Lindsey…just had to look, and have updated my email address so that I’ll be back in the Herbangardener loop once again! So, life looks normal…the usual ups and downs and as usual, you have lots of wise ways to deal with the not so good days. “Learning potential” they are, and an opportunity to share your wisdom – thank you! Love seeing all you find in your camera lens…the beauty in the everyday things that surround us….thanks for the reminders. And after all that winter hibernation, life must be calling you back out into the gardens – have fun!
P.S…..and, since my letter won’t be on time…”Happy celebration of your sweet life!”
Love and hugs to you….Jane
SO happy to have your new address Jane, it’s been so long since I’ve even looked at my blog – things have been very ‘real’ this year. Glad to hear from you, thank you for commenting all the way back in April!