Ahh...SPRING...??

Already, the daffodils and hyacinths have blessed us with their cheerful faces. Soon, our yard will release it's wonders of roses and peonies, herbs and flowering plants whose names I've forgotten. The leaves will sprout forth with their tiny red and green buds...some unfurling into spring-green, (my most favorite color in the whole wide world), lacey leaves. The pond will need cleaning so the fish emerging from winter semi-hibernation can enjoy themselves, and the air will take on that balmy feel and smell one only finds when living near the sea in springtime. Oh...I can hardly wait!

photo: http://the5bennettgirls.com

Yesterday, Sr. Chief and I turned an entire section of our back yard into what is going to be a "Back-to-Eden" garden.  (Scroll down to see the inspiring video!) In-between jobs, I raked (and raked and raked) gumballs from our infamous Sweet Gum a.k.a."gumball" tree...Well, it's really ours AND our neighbors. We all hate it. Yes, I did use the strong word 'hate' there. But really, I've tried for ten years to figure out why God made gumballs and the answer is yet to come. I have satisfied myself with the fact that He's concerned about my health and therefore blows them off the tree into my yard so I'll get a jumpstart on my spring exercise. Yes, that's a bit over the edge in 'it's all about me' thinking, but...
If that was His plan, it worked.

But back to the Back-to-Eden garden...the whole concept is almost more exciting than than the approach of warmer weather. Almost. So, following the advice given in the video, we scouted out a place to get mulch and compost and FOUND a state facility within a half hour's ride! The mulch there is certified clean, comes in a variety of sizes and even non-toxic colors, and the operation is impressively and efficiently run...at a third of the cost of local nurseries. Yes. We were greatly impressed.

Now, you want to know about how God works sometimes? We have two vehicles, neither of which is a truck.                                 (We NEED a TRUCK!...)
...but Sr. Chief was training out of town Friday and on his way back through Richmond, he thought to ask his brother if we could borrow his trailer...our van does have a hitch for our camper. So, he came home surprising me with a trailer full of compost that he also picked up on the way home!

Who knew a lady could get so excited about dirt? (But I still carry lipgloss in my pocket, girlies!)

We drove to pick up the mulch early yesterday, came home and laid newspaper where needed, added about 2 inches of compost and 3-4 inches of fine mulch over that. We agree that in order to do as the experts say to do, we'll need to get at least an inch of regular mulch to cover that just because the mulch we got is so beautifully fine it will compost pretty fast...The weather can turn hot and humid here in an instant and the larger mulch will be needed to hold in water and keep those roots cool once the plants get started. But for now, I know we're safe.

 

Because today, here in the southeastern corner of Virginia, after raining coldly most of the day, the rain turned to sleet and then...it snowed. Oh, yes, it did.

 

I'm trying to keep my chin up and regard it as a nice, cozy blanket for the garden...Just a little something to help it out, and truth be told, I'm probably right. Still, I'm not really too happy about it.

But I did have a paper to edit.

And I was tired from gardening yesterday, three hours of music rehearsal yesterday afternoon, church yesterday evening, (our church meets on Saturdays and no we're not in a Jewish congregation, although I love God's chosen), and PORT* yesterday evening-evening.

And Senior needed to work on his school paperwork today, too. (Yes, people do think and study and even go to school after 50!)

And I still need to at least vacuum as dog hair is gathering in the carpet...I'll do that in the morning.

The point is, I'm excited, but I am a habitual over-doer so even though I know the snow's not really all about me, I think there's a chance that it could be some about me. Because if God knows the number of hairs on my head, (and He does), and if His thoughts of me are greater than the grains of sand on the beaches, (and they are), and if He is serious about coming unto Him all us who are weary, (and He is)....then there's no doubt that this nasty weather had something to do with keeping me indoors, resting by the fireplace and only taxing myself enough to drink tea while editing a paper.

I even settled back for a 'Facebook Session'.

 

Honestly, this type of garden does need to sit a bit before planting...We are creating ours along the format of the family in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania...Their climate is more similar to ours than those across the country.

 

And we haven't even decided which seeds to plant yet...although I'm getting a very good idea.

 

But I sure did like the smell of that dirt and mulch yesterday...

 

Oh, yes...It's all so close, I can taste it!

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*PORT is a local program in which churches of all denominations join together to feed and shelter the area's disabled homeless.

Superfood Wednesday: Acerola Powder - Natural C with Bonuses

I know. We've been told you can't get too much vitamin C. I, personally, 'drown' myself in C tablets, C tea, C lozenges, and C foods whenever I think I'm getting cold symptoms. What can it hurt? It helps heal wounds, keeps our bones healthy, and forms muscles, blood vessels, skin and collagen.  According to the 'Superfoods Index' in Nourishing Traditions, Vitamin C is the most important dietary antioxidant. So, isn't more better?


Vitamin C comes to us through ascorbic acid, but unfortunately, our kidneys are susceptible to damage from too much. It also can cause a deficit of bioflavinoids, which are needed to help our bodies assimilate the vitamin C.  Great. I didn't know that. Linus Pauling is credited with recommending up to 15 grams daily of pure ascorbic acid for an array of illnesses, and indeed, large doses do combat much of 'what ails us'. But then, there are those pesky side effects. We need a 'fix' to our Vitamin C fix. And of course, the fix comes in a natural packaging of food.

First, the immediate fix is in knowing that small amounts of C found in whole foods protect us as well as large amounts of ascorbic acid and offer no side effects in the process. Acerola Powder from the acerola berry, or 'cherry', offers not only Vitamin C, but the bioflavinoids previously discussed that are erased when we take large amounts of pure ascorbic acid. Inherent within the cherry are a number of other benefits as it contains anthocyanins. This bonus helps our bodies fight free radicals that cause cancer. It also helps lower heart disease risks, protects fetal brain tissue, helps with blood sugar regulation as well as obesity problems, is anti-inflammatory and even helps out in the area of memory.

Can one overdo acerola? Yes. You don't just run out, buy the powder and drown yourself in it anymore than I should drown myself in other vitamin C sources. Acerola contains much greater amounts of vitamin C than the typical orange...I guess you could consider it a very highly concentrated orange, and too much can cause problems. Follow your natureopathic or medical doctor's recommendation regarding dosage and be sure to alert them as to what other medications you may be taking. Acerola can interfere with the work of estrogens, (like birth control), and cause false negatives in some tests. One type of acerola cherry, when the cherries themselves are eaten, has caused intestinal inflammation and obstruction in children. Do note that this is only one of the three types of acerola cherry and that it is when eaten as a berry.

Livestrong.com has additional information on the benefits of acerola as well as the possible side effects from over-consumption.

A good source for quality acerola powder is Radiant Life.

It's Superfood Wednesday!

Welcome to Superfood Wednesday, where I will attempt to share with you what I have learned about Superfoods according to the information I learn from the Weston A. Price Foundation and those following the precepts taught by WAPF.

Today, we won't discuss specifics, however, because I want to first acquaint those as yet unacquainted with what, exactly, a 'superfood' is.

If you have read any of the information in the page tabs at the top of this post, you know that Dr. Weston A. Price traveled the world in search of healthy non-industrialized people groups. He found them, too...and scientifically backed studies of this group brought about revelation that became the foundation of today's pure/clean food revolution.

No one knows exactly why, but even in primitive societies, food with concentrated nutrients have been highly sought after and valued. There were no science teams, no equipment or written record-keeping skills. And yet, these people knew the foods that would keep them in optimum health. Indeed, this was so until some left to join the industrial world. Inevitably, those that returned would do so with diminished health.

Primitive peoples knew, whether by word of mouth or 'instinct', we really don't know, that foods high in fat-soluble vitamins were good for them. They didn't know the foods they were eating had fat soluble vitamins...They just knew things like fish eggs, organ meats, soaked grains, (Yes, they soaked their grains!), and specific herbs were good for their strength, their children, for fertility, stamina and overall wellness.

The foods we consider to be 'superfoods' are those that naturally contain nutrients important to our health. They could, I suppose, be considered supplements, like vitamins, only  far better because, let's face it, God-created is always better than man-created. Man-made vitamins often pass straight through the body with very little actual assimilation. God-made foods have components within them that actually cause that specific food to be more easily absorbed, and thus, used by the body.

Why superfoods? Can't we get everything we need from good, clean foods without adding supplements? Well, yes, we can. But as the adage goes, "Nobody's perfect." Even the most food-conscious blunder from time to time. And I know I still do quite often. In fact, I do my best to eat well while I'm home because I know there will be many occasions when I'm away from home that nutrient-dense foods will not be available to me. I am a Southerner at heart, and that part of me hates to make others around me uncomfortable, especially regarding the issue of food. So, I write about it, I eat the best I can, and unless someone asks in public, I keep my mouth shut...and when they do ask, I try my best to be gracious in my answer. Honey is a very good attractant.

Rambling, yes? Okay, back on track...Let's suppose we know a person who eats perfectly all the time...(I think I may know one)...That person cannot be sure that food ingested was grown in non-depleted soil, or even that none has been touched by additives, sugars, pesticides, refined carbs, or rancid vegetable oils. So, this is the person who could use superfoods...Could that be you?

Or perhaps, you are convinced to try to eat as prescribed by the Weston A. Price Foundation, but there are some habits/foods you don't want to let go...smoking, alcohol...and Starbucks. You need superfoods that help rid your body of toxins, or refill your body with nutrients depleted by these habits.

I will start by explaining all the superfoods listed in Nourishing Tradtions. I have not taken them all, but I will tell you what is said of their value even if I haven't tried them as yet. We do regularly use probiotics, cod-liver oil and High Vitamin Butter Oil as a part of the cod-liver oil. In addition, due to an absence of most of my thyroid gland, I also take kelp and try to eat seafood at least once a week.

So, you've had advance notice and next week, we will begin to explore superfoods, one at a time, in more depth.

Since my husband and I both take it every day, I believe I'll begin with cod-liver oil. There are some surprises about that...