Simple Raw and Natural

  April 12, 2025  Last night, I was in a dream state that seemed to stretch on and on.  The details are hazy, but a single thread ran through the entire experience:  I was searching for the long version of something.  I wasn't quite sure what it was at first but eventually, I realized it was Cory Booker's speech.  I wanted to hear it in its entirety - not just soundbites or quotes - but the full, uncut version.  Despite my efforts, all I could find were brief excerpts. There was a sense of urgency in the search, a need to connect with something whole and complete.  And while the speech remained elusive, another image stayed with me:  my own fingers, intertwined.  A quiet and subtle gesture, but full of meaning. Dreams speak in symbols.  They often quietly express truths we overlook while we are awake.   The search for the full story suggests a longing for depth, honesty and continuity - maybe in the world around me, maybe ...

April 15, 2025 Châteauroux Still Lives in Me - A Memory Châteauroux, France, still lives in me. When we first arrived in Châteauroux, I was just a young teenager, already accustomed to moving regularly with my Air Force dad. But Châteauroux was different—the language was different. In my mind, it was an exotic place. I lived there for only two years, but the impact has lasted a lifetime. Sixty-five years later, it remains vivid in my heart. The charm of everyday life enchanted me: the shops and boulangeries, young boys walking with unwrapped baguettes in their arms, the bicycles as transportation, the gendarmes directing traffic in their crisp uniforms, the French schoolchildren with rosy cheeks warmed by wine, the berets, the accents, the quiet resilience of a people still recovering from war. Even the base snack bar felt magical, with its hamburgers and French fries—familiar comforts in an unfamiliar world. I remember my mother getting her new French driver’s license and bravely taki...

Friday, April 11, 2025 Simple Raw and Natural I began Simple Raw and Natural in May 2011, just before embarking on a five-month adventure to the Clohesy River Health Farm near Kuranda, Queensland, Australia. I was in the midst of a four-year study with Dr. John Fielder called A Lifestyle Consultant’s Course in Natural Living , and this trip served as the internship portion of that journey. The conditions at the health farm were anything but luxurious—simple, rustic, and deeply outside my comfort zone. But that experience shifted my perspective in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. It’s been over three years since I last posted here. Part of that silence came from the struggle to stay within the parameters of the identity I created for this blog. Back then, I believed raw food and natural living might be the solution to everything. And in many ways, that lifestyle helped me—physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. But over time, I realized that it didn’t address the full complexit...

 Imperfectly Raw , Saturday, July 1, 2023 I have started on the Goodbye Lupus protocol promoted by Dr. Brooke Goldner.  She has had enormous success helping people heal from autoimmune diseases.  I have not been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, but I have issues with eyesight, brain fog, and feeling less than optimum that I would like to address.  I have decided to go with this protocol until Thanksgiving and then perhaps add in some healthy plant based foods. The protocol consists of high nutrient vegetables, Omega 3s,  and hydration.  For reversing inflammatory conditions you eat raw food only, minimum of 1.5 lbs of high nutrient vegetables, maximum of 24 oz of fresh or frozen fruit, Omega's 3s in the form of flax seed, chia seed, or flax seed oil, and 128 oz of water.  Any other veggies are okay after the daily needs are met.  Fermented foods are allowed up to 1/4 cup, olives up to 1/4 cup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Braggs aminos, drie...

  Imperfectly Raw - Day 59 - Sunday, 1/2/22 It is cold today.  Winter has arrived.   First meal today:  Green Smoothie with banana, kiwi, beet microgreens, mixed greens, wheatgrass juice powder, chocolate protein powder, blueberries and a few blackberries, chia seeds, almond milk, and water. Snack:  Green Juice - (parsley, cilantro, ginger, lemon, cucumber, apple, and celery) and strawberries and blueberries on the side. Dinner:  Green salad - Mixed salad greens, coleslaw, carrots, tomatoes with a little goat cheese and Bragg’s vinaigrette dressing, some pickled beets, onion, sauerkraut, and a little bit of a leftover green soup.  I had some of the seed crackers I made using my new Bright Kitchen Silicone Sheets along with a Kombucha. Dessert:  2 goodie balls and hibiscus tea. After dinner we watched Being the Ricardos on Amazon. Ticked off all the boxes on my habit tracker today.  9731 steps, ate on plan, practiced my flute, listened to...

  Imperfectly Raw - Day 58 - Saturday, 1/1/22 Happy New Year! This year I am resolving to put on my horsey blinders in order to focus on the things I can control. It will be fun to see if  little habits can lead to big changes!  What you don’t track, you can’t change. Five things I will track:  8000k steps a day. Eat on Plan. Practice my flute. Read the New York Times best seller list and report on the books I read. To show accountability and gratitude I will blog every day and share on Simple Raw and Natural Facebook page, post a reel on Instagram, and post on TikTok with Hey Travis. Yesterday we had our neighbors, Kim and Jerry, over to celebrate the New Year and to watch the Razorbacks play Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Hogs won!  Fun game to watch. Breakfast:  Lemon Ginger Blast and coffee Lunch:  Salad with mixed greens, slaw mix, grated carrots, green onions, tomatoes; Bragg’s vinaigrette dressing; traditional black-eyed peas, collard greens, c...