Winter bits from the garden...

We recently had a fairly severe cold snap with below zero temperatures that lasted for several days. When I went outside this morning I went to the garden to see if there was anything at all that could be salvaged.  I actually found some kale and pulled up a clump of onions. I used some of the onions in potato salad today and will be using the rest of them and the kale in some vegetable soup soon. I know there are lots of Jerusalem artichokes out there that could be harvested. It is so nice to realize that even though winter is upon us, there are still fresh things to enjoy.

 

A simple needle book...

 

I have a daughter-in-law whose name is "Elizabeth."  Everyone I know calls her "Beth." The other day I was watching a show where a little girl was called "Betty."  It sounded like such a pretty name.  I asked my daughter-in-law if she had ever been called "Betty" and she replied that someone had long ago. I asked her if I could call her "Betty".  She replied, "I would love that!"

I wanted to do something to celebrate this interaction, and after contemplating it, decided to make her a little needle book.  Do you know what a needle book is? It's a small fabric book where you can store your hand sewing needles. Then, they are easy to keep with your hand sewing project.

So, you see there, above, what I came up with.  She loves "Forget me nots" and so I embroidered a few of those on there and added her name. She said, when it came in the mail, "I absolutely love it!" She appreciates hand made things... it's so nice.

Here are a couple of pictures of the inside of the little book.

More on our plant based lifestyle...

 Dietary advice is one of those things that often causes people's eyes to "glaze over."  Of course diet is not the only subject that will cause us to harden our hearts, but it's certainly one of them. My husband and I have been eating the Whole Food Plant Based (no oil) way of eating for nearly 4 years now. As I mentioned before, his angina is gone. My eyesight has been restored. I have so much more energy. 

In April of last year (2023) I ended up spending two nights in the hospital. I was experiencing some dizziness and my daughters were all concerned that I might have had a stroke.  As it turned out, it was caused by those little crystals that can form in your inner ear and sometimes get lodged in the wrong place.  Anyway... I had, I think, about every scan and test known to man!  I joked that they took enough blood to sell. After all of that, I found out I am in excellent health. My cholesterol, which used to be 280, is now 140. My heart output, measured by an echocardiogram, which is considered normal at 50%, was 65 - 70%. 

I am now 75 years old.  I take no medications at all. I weigh less now than I did when we got married in 1971. (In case you're curious, I am 5' 4" tall and weigh 122 pounds.) This is without going hungry. I never have to go hungry. I never have to "diet". I do go out and walk for about 45 minutes in the woods up and down hills most days, with our two dogs. I do a little weight lifting, as at my age, it surely is true that if you don't use it you lose it!

Please... I urge you to look into it. Be curious. Do what is the very best for your own health.  When I began this, I told my husband, "I am going to do this for ME.  There is no pressure for you to join me. I will cook for both of us.  And so, that's what I did for about 3 weeks and then he said he'd join me. I think he saw what it was doing for me and also he didn't want me to have to work so hard.  He's so good to me. 

Read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall.  Also, go over to YouTube and watch "Forks over Knives." You can watch that for free. 

It's simple, it's easy to do if you want to do it, and it will  SAVE YOU LOTS OF MONEY.  Honestly, for the two of us, I spend less than $60 a week on food.  Truly. The food can be simple and be perfectly healthy. If you want to, you can cook fancy also, but the health results are the same. For my recent birthday, one of our daughters bought me a copy of Be a Plant Based Woman Warrior   by Jane and Ann Esselstyn.  It is great!  There is a whole world of cookbooks out there for plant based eating.  Just be sure you don't eat added oils. Don't eat processed foods.  Eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and if your weight is normal, you can have some nuts and seeds, but avoid those if you need to trim down. Same with avocados.  They are good for you, but avoid them if you need to lose weight.

If you have any questions, you know where to find me.