Blessings, Darlings!
It's the summer solstice here on Earth's northern hemisphere. Or as my friend Troll summarized it for ritual: Sun High, Earth Hot.
We are in a heat wave here in DC, and my part of town is having a drought, too. We may end up matching the record number of days 90 degrees or over for June.
So let's talk summer treats.
I'm making batches of popcicles with grown-up flavors (and no food coloring). Latte ones have been a huge hit, especially with my son. My husband adores ones made from limeade, even tho' the color can best be described as a 'pale snot green'. I like all of them, but usually choose to have ones made from V-Fusion, since they've no added sugar (just plenty of natural fructose), lovely color, and count as darn near a full serving of produce.
Really, you can use any fruit juice to make them, or make them from pureed fruits.
One problem, of course, is that the molds I make them in are plastic. I could make them in paper cups, but making paper isn't great for the environment and those would be just one use. I'm working on finding a way out of this problem - I will search for stainless steel molds, I suppose.
Frondly, Fern - trying to stay cool.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Size Matters
In fact, size matters a whole LOT when it comes to wire gauge and air conditioners.
Blessings, Darlings!
As y'all may recall, we have a home business. The bulk of it is located in the garage - husband's desk is there, the lab is there, the files and office supplies are there. The garage is not insulated. The garage is not tied into the house's central HVAC system.
It is heated and cooled using two space heaters and a portable air conditioner. They run from outlets, and one of the space heaters and the AC unit use the outlet in the laundry room so we don't blow the fuse for the garage. It also means I can't use the washer when running those. AND it means that there is a long extension cord from the laundry room to the AC unit.
Today my husband cleaned the AC air filters and vacuumed the machine. He noticed that the end of the extension cord by the AC is melted and shows scorch marks.
Not good. He decided to immediately stop using it.
Okay so far. I was to pick a new heavy duty extension cord up when I go out to get the car from the repair shop later today (remember my son's car accident? The body work is totaling $1556, but will be done around noon today).
I figured that the husband would delay using the AC until I got the new extension cord.
I was wrong.
I went out earlier than I had planned to do some chores, and came back with the cord hours before we thought I would. I found the AC running in the lab. It was hooked up to a long but really WIMPY power cord. The power cord was HOT HOT HOT. We had a real fire danger going here!
This is SO wrong. Husband wouldn't use old cord because it was scorched (and probably had been scorched for ages). But he started using an even WIMPIER extension cord? The man is NUTS. And this is a man with a PhD in Electronics!
No permanent damage done. And I brought home the most robust power cord I could get, a 10 gauge one. I don't know if the plug on it is better - it was the plug that scorched on the old one - but I hope it is so we don't have this issue again.
When I next get over to the hardware store I'll buy a new plug for the old cord, so we can replace that and have the 100 foot cord available for other things. But I'm going to watch the plug on the new cord, too. I might just end up replacing those regularly.
Frondly, Fern
Blessings, Darlings!
As y'all may recall, we have a home business. The bulk of it is located in the garage - husband's desk is there, the lab is there, the files and office supplies are there. The garage is not insulated. The garage is not tied into the house's central HVAC system.
It is heated and cooled using two space heaters and a portable air conditioner. They run from outlets, and one of the space heaters and the AC unit use the outlet in the laundry room so we don't blow the fuse for the garage. It also means I can't use the washer when running those. AND it means that there is a long extension cord from the laundry room to the AC unit.
Today my husband cleaned the AC air filters and vacuumed the machine. He noticed that the end of the extension cord by the AC is melted and shows scorch marks.
Not good. He decided to immediately stop using it.
Okay so far. I was to pick a new heavy duty extension cord up when I go out to get the car from the repair shop later today (remember my son's car accident? The body work is totaling $1556, but will be done around noon today).
I figured that the husband would delay using the AC until I got the new extension cord.
I was wrong.
I went out earlier than I had planned to do some chores, and came back with the cord hours before we thought I would. I found the AC running in the lab. It was hooked up to a long but really WIMPY power cord. The power cord was HOT HOT HOT. We had a real fire danger going here!
This is SO wrong. Husband wouldn't use old cord because it was scorched (and probably had been scorched for ages). But he started using an even WIMPIER extension cord? The man is NUTS. And this is a man with a PhD in Electronics!
No permanent damage done. And I brought home the most robust power cord I could get, a 10 gauge one. I don't know if the plug on it is better - it was the plug that scorched on the old one - but I hope it is so we don't have this issue again.
When I next get over to the hardware store I'll buy a new plug for the old cord, so we can replace that and have the 100 foot cord available for other things. But I'm going to watch the plug on the new cord, too. I might just end up replacing those regularly.
Frondly, Fern
LW Monday: Family History
Blessings, Darlings!
Sorry about missing last week. I'm dealing with the dang knee NOW OFFICIALLY DIAGNOSED AS TORN MEDIAL MENISCUS. I've gotten a list of physical therapy exercises for it, as that is the preferred treatment over surgery. I'll be going those for the next 6 - 8 weeks. If I'm still in pain then ... off to Orthopedic surgeon.
Anyway....
This week let's talk about family medical history. Mine is as complex as anyone else's: high triglyerides and gout on Mom's side, along with late-onset dementia and a 50% chance of having the Jewish colon cancer gene; breast cancer on Dad's side, along with his heart disease.
But those are the easy things to see. Mom and I are sort of the 'medical memory' for her side of the family. So when I had my kidney stone and I reflected about urinary issues in the family, I saw a pattern of illnesses there - specifically 'twisted uterers' in my son's generation. It's most visible in my grandmother's daughter's daughters daughters - 60% of those girls have had to have surgery for it - but it's affected others in that generation as well.
So go forth and compile as much of your family medical history as you can. If you can get it for everyone from your grandparents out to your generation (or beyond) of aunts/uncles/cousins, get that as well as your parents and siblings.
Frondly, Fern
Sorry about missing last week. I'm dealing with the dang knee NOW OFFICIALLY DIAGNOSED AS TORN MEDIAL MENISCUS. I've gotten a list of physical therapy exercises for it, as that is the preferred treatment over surgery. I'll be going those for the next 6 - 8 weeks. If I'm still in pain then ... off to Orthopedic surgeon.
Anyway....
This week let's talk about family medical history. Mine is as complex as anyone else's: high triglyerides and gout on Mom's side, along with late-onset dementia and a 50% chance of having the Jewish colon cancer gene; breast cancer on Dad's side, along with his heart disease.
But those are the easy things to see. Mom and I are sort of the 'medical memory' for her side of the family. So when I had my kidney stone and I reflected about urinary issues in the family, I saw a pattern of illnesses there - specifically 'twisted uterers' in my son's generation. It's most visible in my grandmother's daughter's daughters daughters - 60% of those girls have had to have surgery for it - but it's affected others in that generation as well.
So go forth and compile as much of your family medical history as you can. If you can get it for everyone from your grandparents out to your generation (or beyond) of aunts/uncles/cousins, get that as well as your parents and siblings.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, June 4, 2010
Most Food Costs WAY Up!
Blessings, Darlings!
Have you noticed what is happening with food costs? They have jumped incredibly over the past year or so for some items. Fruits and veggies have taken the largest jump - according to the government. But let me tell you, meat prices have soared ... but the govt doesn't acknowledge that, their food price formulas assume that you'll switch from filets to burgers so they don't really figure it in.
Last weekend we did a rare trip to a large-ish Oriental food store. The chain has some superstores, but this wasn't one of them (alas, I LOVE their superstores). We needed a few speciality items, and we looked at prices on items that are usually at great prices there.
Oh, the trauma!
The frozen sliced beef, traditionally $2.99/ lb, was $5.99/ lb. The galbi (thin sliced beef flanken short ribs) was also at $5.99/ pound. The whole beef tenderlois, which was $5.99/ pound last year, is $6.99/ lb now.
I was in shock. I left disappointed. And without the soy sauce I was after, for they were out of the brand I like.
Meanwhile, the price of grains has dropped. I've not been to the feed store to get any 50 pound sacks of wheat or corn lately, but two years ago wheat was way up near $20 for that sack. Since then the price of wheat on the Kansas Board of Trade has dropped by more than half.
So it looks like I'll be increasing my stores of grains this summer (I don't know what's up in beans yet), and seeing what happens with all other prices. Possibly meat prices will drop next year, following the drop in grain prices, but since I get most of my beef from private sales that won't affect me much. I AM glad I put in an extra 6 tomato plants, but I'll really have to start more green beans than I had planned.
And the deep snow over the winter seems to have reduced the bunny and chipmunk populations to the point that no one is eating my blueberry bushes, and the birds haven't hit them yet. We might actually get some blueberries this year!
How does your garden grow?
Frondly, Fern
Have you noticed what is happening with food costs? They have jumped incredibly over the past year or so for some items. Fruits and veggies have taken the largest jump - according to the government. But let me tell you, meat prices have soared ... but the govt doesn't acknowledge that, their food price formulas assume that you'll switch from filets to burgers so they don't really figure it in.
Last weekend we did a rare trip to a large-ish Oriental food store. The chain has some superstores, but this wasn't one of them (alas, I LOVE their superstores). We needed a few speciality items, and we looked at prices on items that are usually at great prices there.
Oh, the trauma!
The frozen sliced beef, traditionally $2.99/ lb, was $5.99/ lb. The galbi (thin sliced beef flanken short ribs) was also at $5.99/ pound. The whole beef tenderlois, which was $5.99/ pound last year, is $6.99/ lb now.
I was in shock. I left disappointed. And without the soy sauce I was after, for they were out of the brand I like.
Meanwhile, the price of grains has dropped. I've not been to the feed store to get any 50 pound sacks of wheat or corn lately, but two years ago wheat was way up near $20 for that sack. Since then the price of wheat on the Kansas Board of Trade has dropped by more than half.
So it looks like I'll be increasing my stores of grains this summer (I don't know what's up in beans yet), and seeing what happens with all other prices. Possibly meat prices will drop next year, following the drop in grain prices, but since I get most of my beef from private sales that won't affect me much. I AM glad I put in an extra 6 tomato plants, but I'll really have to start more green beans than I had planned.
And the deep snow over the winter seems to have reduced the bunny and chipmunk populations to the point that no one is eating my blueberry bushes, and the birds haven't hit them yet. We might actually get some blueberries this year!
How does your garden grow?
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Life Wellness - When Problems Hit
Blessings, Darlings!
Knee so bad that I've had an MRI, and developed bursitis in the OTHER knee from overusing it to help my bad knee. Should get results from Dr. by end of week.
Aerobic exercise on hold, since I'm not joining a swim club, since I don't have the $$$$.
Life is like that sometimes. Gotta roll with it. I'm tuning up the exercise bike - tho' I don't have permission to use it until I at least get a diagnosis. Maybe I'll be able to use that. And I'm still doing upper body weights, core body exercises, and some yoga.
The main thing with WELLNESS is to do what you can. Ignore one-size fits all demands on how you improve yourself, and do what YOU can, with YOUR resources. You'll still most likely be able to do SOMETHING in all areas of wellness, even if you can't do your first choice or what would improve things fastest.
Frondly, Fern
Knee so bad that I've had an MRI, and developed bursitis in the OTHER knee from overusing it to help my bad knee. Should get results from Dr. by end of week.
Aerobic exercise on hold, since I'm not joining a swim club, since I don't have the $$$$.
Life is like that sometimes. Gotta roll with it. I'm tuning up the exercise bike - tho' I don't have permission to use it until I at least get a diagnosis. Maybe I'll be able to use that. And I'm still doing upper body weights, core body exercises, and some yoga.
The main thing with WELLNESS is to do what you can. Ignore one-size fits all demands on how you improve yourself, and do what YOU can, with YOUR resources. You'll still most likely be able to do SOMETHING in all areas of wellness, even if you can't do your first choice or what would improve things fastest.
Frondly, Fern
Sunday, May 23, 2010
LW - Spiritual Health: Quality Time
Blessings, Darlings!
Y'all already know that I consider spiritual health a part of health, and from the posts last year that I think that we humans have to put in effort to work on our relationships with the Gods (just like we do with humans). But in the lives we now live, who has the time?
It's not like our society makes it a point to notice when the leaves of the hawthorn are the size of a squirrel's ear, and then everyone in the village prepares and we celebrate Beltane together. Now, if we're lucky, we set the dates for all celebrations for the next year at our covens/traditions retreat. And while we give some thought to coordinating with the moon for them, we mostly work on finding good weekend day, or a night when no one in the group has classes. And if our car breaks down we don't go, because nothing is within walking distance and buses don't run after rush hour or on weekends.
So ... what kind of time and effort does it take for that personal work? It varies, of course, but on the whole it's like any other endeavor - the more time/effort you put in, the more you get out.
This year I've got a few 'regularly scheduled' home rituals going: Monthly ones aimed at the health of the earth (yeah, BP is showing just how good my magic is working there) and a weekly health/blessing ritual for those who have asked for healings and protection for those in the same magical/spiritual groups I'm in (ADF, ASW, Owl Mt, AMOK, family, etc). I often to the health/protection working several times a week, as the level of need has been high.
There's daily meditation, usually after I get up and feed the cats and before I face the rest of the day. Why AFTER feeding the cats? Clearly, you who ask that aren't staff to cats!
There's invoking the blessings of the Gods on food as I cook it. There are meals that I eat trying to focus totally on being grateful to the Gods for the food and other blessings in my life (not that common, as I don't do it when I eat with the family). There are the times a day when I talk to the High Ones .... and listen and note their answers, then act on any suggestions they have for my life.
Back in the day, before I bred, I tried to put in 10% of my waking hours 'for the God/dess/es'. That included volunteering, reading meditation, rituals, everything. I might try that again some time. Right now .... not counting 'cooking time' .... if I get 45 minutes a day I'm doing really well.
I think that this week I'm going to start work on expanding this. If I increase my time put into this by 15% - that's a time increase of 6 minutes 45 seconds a day. Surely I can do that!
Frondly,
Fern
All of which are, of course, part of the reason that most of our spiritual work is done solo, even when we are in groups.
Y'all already know that I consider spiritual health a part of health, and from the posts last year that I think that we humans have to put in effort to work on our relationships with the Gods (just like we do with humans). But in the lives we now live, who has the time?
It's not like our society makes it a point to notice when the leaves of the hawthorn are the size of a squirrel's ear, and then everyone in the village prepares and we celebrate Beltane together. Now, if we're lucky, we set the dates for all celebrations for the next year at our covens/traditions retreat. And while we give some thought to coordinating with the moon for them, we mostly work on finding good weekend day, or a night when no one in the group has classes. And if our car breaks down we don't go, because nothing is within walking distance and buses don't run after rush hour or on weekends.
So ... what kind of time and effort does it take for that personal work? It varies, of course, but on the whole it's like any other endeavor - the more time/effort you put in, the more you get out.
This year I've got a few 'regularly scheduled' home rituals going: Monthly ones aimed at the health of the earth (yeah, BP is showing just how good my magic is working there) and a weekly health/blessing ritual for those who have asked for healings and protection for those in the same magical/spiritual groups I'm in (ADF, ASW, Owl Mt, AMOK, family, etc). I often to the health/protection working several times a week, as the level of need has been high.
There's daily meditation, usually after I get up and feed the cats and before I face the rest of the day. Why AFTER feeding the cats? Clearly, you who ask that aren't staff to cats!
There's invoking the blessings of the Gods on food as I cook it. There are meals that I eat trying to focus totally on being grateful to the Gods for the food and other blessings in my life (not that common, as I don't do it when I eat with the family). There are the times a day when I talk to the High Ones .... and listen and note their answers, then act on any suggestions they have for my life.
Back in the day, before I bred, I tried to put in 10% of my waking hours 'for the God/dess/es'. That included volunteering, reading meditation, rituals, everything. I might try that again some time. Right now .... not counting 'cooking time' .... if I get 45 minutes a day I'm doing really well.
I think that this week I'm going to start work on expanding this. If I increase my time put into this by 15% - that's a time increase of 6 minutes 45 seconds a day. Surely I can do that!
Frondly,
Fern
All of which are, of course, part of the reason that most of our spiritual work is done solo, even when we are in groups.
Monday, May 17, 2010
LW Monday - Supplemental Info
Blessings, Darlings!
Oh, the amazing synchronicity! I plan to do a post a vitamins and what happens: Kellene does a related on PreparednessPro on how she treats the common cold (http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/my-cure-for-the-common-cold/?utm_source=%40everythingprep&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=%40everythingprep) and Dr. Andrew Weil does Vitamin D again at http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400732/How-Much-Sun-Exposure-for-Vitamin-D.html.
Not exactly an original idea, eh?
So far in the Life Wellness posts here I've talked about eating, exercising, stress, etc, but haven't talked about supplements.
There's a reason for this - I'm of several minds about them.
I mean, let's face it: whether humans evolved or were created overnight by some Goddess or God, neither evolution nor the Divinity/Divinities in question provided a jar of prepared daily vitamins. We do not come with Recommended Daily Values for them tattoo'd onto us. But somehow humanity survived until vitamins were 'discovered' and until recommended values were established.
Therefore, given the wide ranges of habitats humans have thrived in on Earth, there is probably a wide range of 'optimum level' of each vitamin. And some interact in interesting ways, requiring more of others or masking deficiencies of others.
AND research keeps changing the idea of how much is the right amount - see a previous post on Vitamin D from .... sometime last year. And we'll get to that again later this post, too.
Still, even with eating 'better' than I have been, eating more 'intact' or 'whole' foods, etc, I take supplemental vitamins.
First, because my life is far far FAR more sedentary than my ancestors' lives were. Thus instead of needing up to 5000 calories a day (estimated calories a hard working peasant in Europe ate when they could get it), I only need like 1200 calories a day unless I push myself to exercise. That means a whole heck of a lot more nutrients would have to be crammed into a quarter of the calories.
Second, because some studies show that today's food in fact has LESS nutrients than previous varieties had.
Third, because my lifestyle doesn't expose me to the same levels of some vitamins as my ancestors were exposed to, particularly in the case of vitamin D, but probably in the case of vitamin K as well. I'm not working outside all day, I'm not walking where ever I go, etc.
But it's still frustrating. The article by Dr. Weil I cited above seems to rather contradict his previous articles on it (such as http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400732/How-Much-Sun-Exposure-for-Vitamin-D.html). In today's he says that it's easy to get all the vitamin D you need in a little sun exposure. In the earlier one, he says that he's increased the amount in his proprietary for-sale vitamins to 2000 IUs a day.
So, for the moment, I take a daily vitamin (usually one aimed at women over 50 for the extra calcium and such), and extra vitamin D, and some chewable calcium daily.
YMMV.
Frondly, Fern
synchronistic
Oh, the amazing synchronicity! I plan to do a post a vitamins and what happens: Kellene does a related on PreparednessPro on how she treats the common cold (http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/my-cure-for-the-common-cold/?utm_source=%40everythingprep&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=%40everythingprep) and Dr. Andrew Weil does Vitamin D again at http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400732/How-Much-Sun-Exposure-for-Vitamin-D.html.
Not exactly an original idea, eh?
So far in the Life Wellness posts here I've talked about eating, exercising, stress, etc, but haven't talked about supplements.
There's a reason for this - I'm of several minds about them.
I mean, let's face it: whether humans evolved or were created overnight by some Goddess or God, neither evolution nor the Divinity/Divinities in question provided a jar of prepared daily vitamins. We do not come with Recommended Daily Values for them tattoo'd onto us. But somehow humanity survived until vitamins were 'discovered' and until recommended values were established.
Therefore, given the wide ranges of habitats humans have thrived in on Earth, there is probably a wide range of 'optimum level' of each vitamin. And some interact in interesting ways, requiring more of others or masking deficiencies of others.
AND research keeps changing the idea of how much is the right amount - see a previous post on Vitamin D from .... sometime last year. And we'll get to that again later this post, too.
Still, even with eating 'better' than I have been, eating more 'intact' or 'whole' foods, etc, I take supplemental vitamins.
First, because my life is far far FAR more sedentary than my ancestors' lives were. Thus instead of needing up to 5000 calories a day (estimated calories a hard working peasant in Europe ate when they could get it), I only need like 1200 calories a day unless I push myself to exercise. That means a whole heck of a lot more nutrients would have to be crammed into a quarter of the calories.
Second, because some studies show that today's food in fact has LESS nutrients than previous varieties had.
Third, because my lifestyle doesn't expose me to the same levels of some vitamins as my ancestors were exposed to, particularly in the case of vitamin D, but probably in the case of vitamin K as well. I'm not working outside all day, I'm not walking where ever I go, etc.
But it's still frustrating. The article by Dr. Weil I cited above seems to rather contradict his previous articles on it (such as http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400732/How-Much-Sun-Exposure-for-Vitamin-D.html). In today's he says that it's easy to get all the vitamin D you need in a little sun exposure. In the earlier one, he says that he's increased the amount in his proprietary for-sale vitamins to 2000 IUs a day.
So, for the moment, I take a daily vitamin (usually one aimed at women over 50 for the extra calcium and such), and extra vitamin D, and some chewable calcium daily.
YMMV.
Frondly, Fern
synchronistic
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