Blue Flowers from a day at Como Conservatory. Just looking at this picture inspires beauty and peace for me. What does it inspire in you?

Rough Week

Last week was a rough week. I have found with this injury that I have good days ie minimal pain and bad where the pain is maximum. So I had one of those weeks. Snapped at someone at work and well don't like it and no excuses but hurting sometimes brings it on. Would be nice if the person or persons you work with could be compassionate but I have found it isn't there. Therapy was challenging the therapist talked continuously to me about seeing a neurologist and I have told them NO. This injury is related to falls that became mutlple because of becoming weakened and unable to get medical attention for almost 2 years. I had no health insurance until September 2011. But that doesn't matter to them they want me to fit into a box and I don't. Friday I met with the doctor and well being yelled at, and told I should do the exercises at home and the classes they offer instead of therapy. Even after I told him I have small improvements, standing taller, walking better and stronger. The doctor brings up neurologist and after I repeated the MRI for head and neck was normal he looked and saw, that I have no lesions for MS. Sigh. Anyways Saturday Feb. 18 I have an MRI for mid and low back so I will let you know what happens. Oh yea that's where my pain resides low back especially, falls will do that for you. Thought it was in the hip but the MRI for that was normal too. Good things are my family, friends, cats, books, movies, flowers, faith and rest keep me going for now. I mention that because they do keep me going and I've got to have some good things to focus on too. Thanks for hanging in with me.

Long time between posts

I know its been a long time since I've written but a lot has happened since last February. I took a second fall on the ice, slippery boots, snow covered ice equals fall. The first occurred January 2010, I had no health insurance so I did what I could thru supplements, exercise and acupuncture to help myself. My left leg was affected and I had a very distinct limp. Well starting in April I went to a chiropractor{paying out of pocket but with a sliding fee} started feeling better and over the summer with a weakened left leg I fell about six more times.{YUK}In September got health insurance, I'll blog about that another time. Anyways I'm doing physical therapy I'm feeling stronger and having a heck of a time dealing with this. I don't walk normal and have to use a cane. With winter I have to put chains on my boots because I cannot fall again. I don't like to walk outside at night because of ice and the hardest part is feeling alone. So this is the part that yea I'm feeling sorry for myself but also in future blogs I'd like to talk about my experience in dealing with the medical and health insurance aspect. I wonder how many of you are dealing with health challenges and how is it going for you? I know it isn't easy especially in winter.

Thanks for reading.

Mary

Vacation

I love going up north to Duluth and beyond, after being there I feel refreshed and relaxed. This year I went to Two Harbors and stayed at the Flood Bay Motel. It is quiet, clean and yep the motel is up on brick stilts, I don't know if it actually floods there but its very quaint and cute. Lake Superior was just across the road which will bring me back yearly, and a small wayside park. The shore line had some small agates and I brought home a pocketful. I spent one day playing tourist in Two Harbors and went to all four museums which I recommend too. A couple of things that stood out for me was that Two Harbors has a working harbor and a huge ore boat was in dock and loading up. I was at the light house museum when the ore boat left the dock, it sounded 3 long and 2 short blasts on its horns which was very cool. I swear the harbor vibrated when that happened. I walked everywhere that day and as I started on the path to the parking lot a beautiful deer stepped out and looked at me and I said "After you."and she gracefully walked across the trail and into the woods. That night as I sat and read outside of my room I saw 6 deer across the road by the lake so beautiful. Two Harbors has a very cool old library that the Carnegie Foundation helped to build. Anytime I walk into a library and there are chandeliers and a fireplace I think its amazing. I have to tell the story of the badger, when I got to my room I went into the bathroom and thought how odd it smells musky in here. This will be important later, anyways I woke up to hearing rustling outside my bathroom window but I thought oh maybe a deer. Next night I woke up but couldn't go back to sleep so I turned on the light to read. With in moments I heard shuffling of feet on the sidewalk in front of my room and a very low growl as a matter of fact I was growled at 4x and the last one was as the animal went into the woods. I thought to myself I wonder if its a badger and a very angry one at that? When I got home I looked up on the internet and found out Badgers are in the same family as skunks hence the musky smell. Plus I found a recording of a badger growl{what are the odds in that}which was exactly the same growl I heard. Ate a lot of good food, had good experiences and loved the beauty of Lake Superior. I felt restored which is what I needed. I love my work but to take care of myself, a time out once in while is required so I can return and continue to do the work I find so amazing and satisfying.

Gardening-2010

Over the summer of 2010 Woman Well began phase two of a large gardening project, and since Borer Acupuncture works out of this community, and I'm a gardening fanatic, and I have a strapping 20 year old son named Dan, I was more than happy to volunteer mine and his time to help out. The woman in charge of the project has been designing and working the grounds for two years and was amazing, organized and very definite about what she wanted all of us to do.

Dan and I were assigned to transplant the Echinacea beautiful white and pink flowers shaped like the common name of Cone Flowers into the rain garden. Included in the rain garden was a Sambucha or Elderberry Plant which reminded me of an old sage. Historical use of this herb for flu and cold has been for centuries. Aside from the beauty of these plants, it was interesting for me to see the actual plant of the herbs I have been taking and suggesting to use for years. For instance, both echinacea and elderberry are wonderful herbs to use when you have a cold or are beginning to get sick. The elderberry herb kills viruses in the throat, while the echinacea is wonderful at supporting the immune system. There are many good company's which produce these herbs such as Eclectic Institute, Herb Pharm, Flora to name a few. Seeing these plants in person was like viewing an old sage because . . . See, I told you I was a little crazy about gardening.


So after digging, sweating and chatting away the morning with the other volunteers, the spiritual director of Woman Well Del Marie Gibney served a great lunch consisting of make your own sandwich with veggies, cheese, turkey, mayo, and mustard. Included was a choice of fruit a delicious lettuce and tomato salad, coconut macaroons for dessert for all of us. It was great to spend time in the garden with other volunteers and it was particularly satisfying to help improve and create a beautiful space where I work.

Food Matters

I recently finished reading Real Food by Nina Planck, it's a great book that focuses on the history of the authors' diet. Throughout Planck discusses the roles that fats, oils, fish, meat, and produce play in our diet and gives some contextual history on how each of theses was incorporated into the human diet.

Lately, I've been finding myself examining my own eating history as well. Growing up, I had a fairly average American diet. Every night my mom made a home cooked meal which involved lots of canned vegetables and fruits, as well as potatoes and meat. (Pretty exciting right?)

After I moved out on my own, I became a vegetarian and immersed myself entirely in the lifestyle. I spent hundreds of dollars on new cookbooks, subscribed to Vegetarian Times, and tried all of the recipes I could get my hands on. I had some successes, but most of my meals turned into some inedible cauliflower surprise that always found itself in the trash before the end of the meal. Besides the awful food, the most worst part of being a vegetarian were the awful reactions I received for being a vegetarian. I would get the typical but patronizing "good for you," "why?" and one of my personal favorites "I'm sorry." Even my then husband's father, who was ironically enough a lifetime farmer said to me in the driest sarcascim he could muster "what would the world do without vegetables for people like you to eat?"

These days I take a more balanced approach to eating. As an acupuncturist I've learned to view food energetically. The Chinese believe that eating foods that grow naturally, and abundantly during a given season supports the body with the necessary nutrients it needs. For example, raw foods like vegetable salads, and fruit are great to eat during the summer. There is fire energy in these produce. During the Fall eating food that's more white in color like potatoes, pears, and parsnips are recommended. The Winter is a good time for soups, and stews. Think of black or dark colored foods like beef, black beans, and beets during this time. Finally Spring is the time of movement, so things which are green and alive like asparagus, chives, green onions are great!

Most importantly however, I've learned to enjoy the gift of food; the preparation, the taste, the texture and the people with whom I share my meals. That is the true gift of food.