Category: News + Family Updates (Page 16 of 25)

A Peaceful Place

November 10, 2011 / Lindsey / 5 Comments

When Trish over at Soul Soup Sister wrote about her parents’ house and how peaceful it is and how it has an abundance of good energy and is a good place to just sit quietly, I could totally relate! I love my parents’ house for all the same reasons. When I ride my bike across a main thoroughfare into their neighborhood, I notice that I breathe out a big sigh. It’s a quieter, safer, and much less congested neighborhood. A much calmer atmosphere. We have a lovely little apartment of course — it’s a space of love and laughter, it has good energy, and it has lots of character and beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. However the neighborhood is congested and noisy, we have people living below us, I feel disconnected from nature and the earth, and even if I did have my own yard, I wouldn’t feel totally safe and at ease sitting in it (the neighborhood being what it is). And when I don’t leave this place for days at a time — held prisoner by this illness — our sweet apartment begins to feel like my cell.

So it feels really good to go to their house…where my cat lives…where my gardens are….where the piano is…a house which is sometimes so quiet that my ears ring…which has a safe & private yard…and just be in peace. I feel extremely lucky to have their house as another option for days when I need to get outta here, or be outside, but don’t feel well enough to be out and about in the world. It feels like a healing respite. There’s lots of quietude and good energy.

I went over there Tuesday — my cat was the only one home. She took a nap in the sunshine on the warm straw in the garden while I puttered around and collected the last of the parsley, calendula, and queen anne’s lace seeds, and then had some tea. Later we took a nap, cuddled up together under a blanket on the couch. My cat is so great. We are so in tune with each other. She’s so good at quietly supporting… just being there. I was taking a nap, and every once in a while I’d open my eyes to see if she was sleeping too, but no… each time I’d open my eyes she’d be staring at me! Eventually, though, she did close her eyes and sleep too.

Here are some pictures from around my parents’ house:

Can you see the kitty rushing by? 🙂

I adore this painting my dad did for me, of an Australian Aboriginal man. My dad is amazing. I wish I had his talent~

My cat Liz, resting on the straw in my garden.

The front porch

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Snow Days

November 3, 2011 / Lindsey / 3 Comments

More snow came Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. How cozy! I’ve been hanging extremely low, having overdone it way too much recently. I seem to be able to borrow energy and push my body further than it wants to go (thanks to my youth, maybe, and I’m thankful for that…), but eventually it really catches up with me and I feel extra awful. I slept 18 hours, waking up today to sunshine pouring through the windows. It’s beautiful. The air is still cold though, so I’m staying warm here inside…

And what are you up to today?

Storm's rolling in...

Night snow

The next morning

Snowfall through the windows

And today...sunshine!

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Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2011 / Lindsey / 2 Comments

Happy Halloween to you!

Here are some pictures from around our place this morning.

It’s going to be a pretty day today, and I think I’ll continue my tradition of taking a night bike ride around the neighborhood to see all the action!

What are your Halloween plans?

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This Week: Harvest Time!

October 27, 2011 / Lindsey / 8 Comments

Vegetable Harvest 2011, (c) The Herbangardener

The last of the harvest, not including celery. I'm holding the biggest potato of the year -- 1.2lbs!

It was harvest time this week! Monday was the day; snow was predicted for Wednesday, and Monday was an incredible 80°! How very perfectly the weather worked out this year; usually I’m out there harvesting in the freezing drizzle, my half-frozen fingers moving in slow motion. Not this year! I was prancing around the garden in bare feet and shorts ‘n’ T-shirt, clippers and shovel in hand, the air warm and golden with leaves. It was a true pleasure to be out working in the garden that day.

Here are some pictures from the day:

All in all, it was a below-average garden year. I’ve definitely had much more plentiful harvests in past years, and we missed our usual avalanche of tomatoes, but I felt OK with less because it matched my energy level. I was actually glad to not be overwhelmed with produce; it would have been too much for me this year.

And then on Wednesday, as predicted, we woke up to several inches of snow! How funny, I was cooking quinoa in my solar oven on Monday, and then making snow ice cream on Wednesday!

And tucked in amongst harvest day and our snowstorm, I had a spinal tap. Yuck! It wasn’t exactly awful, but it was a strange experience and I almost passed out a couple times during and after it!

For anyone who has to have one in the future, here’s what I would tell my patient if I were their nurse.

Getting a spinal tap: you could compare it to a blood draw. It’s kind of unpleasant, and it’ll probably be a bit uncomfortable…and it feels weird…but it’ll be over soon enough. It’s important to hold yourself in the right position. The doctor will put you in a fetal position…hold that pose, but remind yourself to relax and breathe.

The doctor will first feel your spine and mark where the needle should go in. Then your lower back will get cleaned three times with iodine. You’ll get two shots of lidocaine — one just under the surface of your skin, the other one further into your back. They don’t hurt much other than the sting of getting a shot. Then the doctor will insert the spinal needle; to me this is the worst part. Try not to picture what’s going on and take your mind to your favorite place if you can. You won’t feel pain, but it’ll be uncomfortable pressure and then a ‘pop’ sensation and a give. You might feel a dull ache down your back at this point. It takes several minutes for the spinal fluid to drip out of the needle into the collection tubes, but the worst part is over. Try to focus your mind on someplace nice, and breathe.

They’ll remove the needle but you probably won’t feel that at all. They’ll put a band-aid on, and probably draw a couple vials of blood from your arm, and have you slowly get up as you feel ready; take your time. It might help to have a water bottle or some juice or a little snack with you.

Have someone drive you home. Plan to take the rest of the day, and the next, to recover; avoid doing anything strenuous. Drink lots of fluids to replace your spinal fluid; they say caffeine helps prevent a possible post-lumbar-puncture headache, but if you don’t like caffeine (I don’t), don’t do it. Just hydrate and hang low.

I felt very fragile after the procedure, and had a substantial backache for the rest of the day. I never got the big headache some people do because of the lowered spinal fluid pressure. I drank lots of liquids and stayed in bed the rest of the day, and the next day too.

And today, Thursday, I’m totally recovered and the spinal tap is a distant memory. Now I want to dig out our DVD of that hilarious mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap, about the fictional rock band!!

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Free Shipping Through Monday, October 24th at Tropical Traditions!

October 22, 2011 / Lindsey / 5 Comments

It’s Free Shipping time at one of my very favorite companies, Tropical Traditions! Free shipping will save about $10-15 off your order, so it’s a good time to stock up, or try them out if you haven’t before. I really love this company’s products, and use them daily. Now through Midnight EDT on Monday October 24th, they’re offering free ground-only shipping when you enter coupon code 241011 at checkout.

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Tropical Traditions has a wide range of high-quality products; here are my favorites:

Moisturizing lotion – I use this every day on my face and hands. It’s the most luxurious stuff, and very gentle since it has only a few wholesome ingredients. Definitely my all-time favorite lotion.

Moisturizing cream – Much thicker than the lotion, this is another favorite. Also great for use on face and hands.

Virgin organic coconut oil – Great for cooking, eating, and also for skin! Has a much better taste than other unrefined coconut oils I’ve tried. I just love this stuff.

Organic raw honey – This is the best-tasting honey I’ve ever had. I like to buy and taste lots of different honeys, and this one always wins, hands down. When I first tried it, my eyes got big and my mouth dropped open; it just has the most amazing taste! Quintessential, flowery honey taste. This stuff is a staple in our house!

Coconut cream concentrate – I love this stuff. LOVE it. The “format” is a little strange, because when you receive it, it will have settled out into a hardened layer of coconut oil and a layer of dried/finely ground coconut meat. You’ll wonder what to do with it at first; what I do is put the jar into a pan of simmering water and let it sit there until the contents have softened and liquefied, and then I can easily stir it up. Then, I put it in the fridge until it’s hardened again. Once hardened, you can then store it in the fridge or at room temperature (it won’t separate again unless it gets really hot in your house). I usually just eat this stuff plain, it’s so good; I break it into chunks with a knife, and eat it as a snack. Sometimes I’ll eat it dipped in the raw honey, which is a very decadent and extremely delicious snack!!!

Laundry Detergent – This detergent is all we use, now that I’ve discovered it. It works very well, gets the stains out, and lasts a long time, making this a very economical purchase.

Oxygen Bleach – Like OxyClean. If you need a tough stain-fighter/deodorizer for laundry and everywhere else around the house.

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Now, I’ve also tried their organic bar soap, and though it was really nice soap, Hubby and I have never seen a bar of soap get used up so fast! It was weird. It just seemed like it was gone in record time. So I wouldn’t get it again. (Though my mom has the liquid soap and really loves it.) I haven’t tried every single product that they sell…but the ones I listed above, I make sure to never run out of!

Also, I bought the Atchara once out of curiosity, and it was extremely strong (even for this vinegar lover!), and a little weird. Not quite a favorite.

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And if you’re a new customer and have never bought from them before, you can also get this Virgin Coconut Oil book, with information & recipes, for free (any time, not just today) by entering my User ID, which is 6032410. When you’re going through the checkout process and you’ve added your shipping address and phone number, you will see the question “How did you hear of us?” Just choose “Referred by a friend” and then a new “User ID” field will appear below that where you can enter my User ID. (See screen shot below.)