Simple Raw and Natural

I woke up at 2:30 and finally got up at 4:00 to start reading. John is still down and out, so I moved the hoses at 7:00  I got on the computer briefly after that, but soon lost my internet connection.   I read in the book Farmers of Forty Centuries.  I helped John move the hoses at 9:00 and got instructions on which trees to water next.  He's giving all the young trees a good soaking before he leaves for the month of September.  Since John wasn't working, I studied, read, weeded a flower bed, and moved the hoses every two hours to keep myself busy today. There is a team grading the road.  John asked me if I would go ask them what it would cost for them to grade his driveway.  I walked down the road...past the nudist colony...almost to Cedar Park Resort before I found them.  My powers of persuasion fell short, though.  The man driving the grader said they were not doing the personal drives because of liability issues.  They are o...

I woke up at 1:30 a.m....finally got up at 2:30 to read.  I read my Bible readings and some in the Pearl Buck biography.  After awhile I went back to sleep and got up again at 6:30. I talked to Travis on Skype.  He's been working in the garden at home...has arugula coming up from seed, and he planted some kale. Today I weeded the vegetable garden and planted the honey dew and one package of the Sugar Baby watermelons.  There were eight honey dew seeds in the package.  I planted two mounds of watermelons with three seeds in each mound.  The rest of them I planted in a furrow, two seeds together about a foot apart.  John thinks the furrow is the best way...the package says to plant in mounds...so we'll see what comes up.  I used the cow manure and our regular compost to cover the seeds. I'm responsible for the watering this afternoon.  John has gone into a healing crisis.  I asked him if he was feeling bad.  He said, "No, I'm fe...

I Skyped the Philly family at 7:00 a.m. my time...5:00 p.m. their time.  It was Phoebe's birthday, so I got to see her presents and hear about her birthday cake.  She showed me the money she got in the card we sent.  She said, "Grandjan, I need more money".  I told her I would tell Pepaw.  She also told me she saw me in the sky.  She thinks I am on every plane that goes over.  What a hoot!   Fun call.  I'm so happy I got to talk to Harris, Amy, Caleb, and Connor, too. I also got to talk to Travis on a separate Skype call for a few minutes before I had to go to work.  Today I planted four tomatoes, cut the vine off the fence around the pineapples and tomatoes, and did some domestics in the guest cabins. Lunch was black sapote, papaya, avocado, sapadilla, banana, and coconut. I washed my hair today, and it turned out okay without a hair dryer.  I used a leave in conditioner and some Bedhead Manipulator.  I guess I am not 10...

I got to talk to my Mom, Travis, Molly, Ashlyn, Zac, Braeden and Ken on Skype.  We had a nice long chat.  Ashlyn showed me all the farm animals she and her friend, Grace, have made.  Molly was making baked potatoes for all of them to eat.  Mom was enjoying being there with the family.   I planted 23 tomato plants today...alternating them with the pineapples. John had some extra black sapotes, so I took them over to Tina's and Jonathon's.  We always eat the black sapotes raw.  Tina and Jonathon eat some cooked foods, and Tina said if she had an oven she would make a cake from them. Lunch was papaya, avocado, sapadilla, black sapote, and coconut.  Consultation today was over lunch, and we talked about emotional health and controlling people.  I'm still working on myself...... In the afternoon, I got on-line, checked messages, payed a bill or two, and sent in my lesson on the the Philosophy of Nature Cure. Supper was cucumber sliced on...

I slept good.  I got up about 7:00, read, did some hand laundry, and checked messages on the computer.  It's so good to get little messages from folks at home.  I'm still going over my speech, too.  My flight arrives in Melbourne on Sunday at 11:45 a.m.  My speech is at 2:00 p.m. in Elwood, and I have to get there on a bus.  Do you think there is a chance I will be late? I cleaned out my Lugable Loo and then just enjoyed the morning after that.  I love my $8.00 shoes.  I don't have to worry about messing them up.  When I get home, I'll have to get me a pair just like them. Lunch was papaya, black sapote, banana, and coconut.  I didn't want my avocado.  I got to try my first jackfruit.  It looks like a dead sea creature, and it tastes like bubble gum.  It's stringy and chewy.  It either has to slide down or get chewed on and spit out. The inside of the jackfruit. The outside of the jackfruit. Th...

I woke up at 10:20 p.m. and laid awake most of the night.  I guess I was worried about oversleeping.  Of course, I dozed off about time to get up. We took Penny by the airport to drop her luggage off in a locker, then she went to town with us.  We went to Rusty's Market where I visited with Carol a few minutes.  John bought papaya, tomatoes and avocadoes.  We didn't need much this week. I got on-line at the radio station and chatted with DIL, Amy, and grandson, Caleb. John dropped Penny and me off at Cairns Central Mall while he went to talk to man about buying some compost.  I mailed two letters at the Post Office and then found a girl named Louisa at Hairhouse Warehouse to cut my hair.  She did a good job, and I bought some Bedhead Manipulator and a leave-in condition to hopefully help me style this hair without a blow dryer. John picked us up at 10:00 and we went to Rusty's for sugar cane drinks.  This is where we said good-bye to Penn...

I slept good until 2:00 a.m. then was awake for an hour or two.  Went back to sleep until 7:00.  Read until 8:30. I worked today.  Even though I was a little slow, I planted 13 tomato plants in the pineapple bed and four lettuce plants. I ate the same thing for lunch today that the others ate.  I grated some of the coconut, too.  Lunch was papaya, black sapote, yellow sapote, sweet banana, avocado, and coconut.  This was the first time I had yellow sapote.  It tastes like baked sweet potato with sugar.  I liked it. I sunbathed about 25 minutes after lunch then visited with Penny and rested.  Penny has educated me on the beauty and practicability of merino wool.  It comes in different weights and can be layered.  It's cool or warm depending on the weight.  She washes it in the washing machine and drys it flat when she is home, but here she has been hand laundering and hanging on the clothes line. Some cute you...

I woke up at 1:00 a.m. and stayed awake several hours before going back to sleep.  Lots of thinking and praying time with no distractions.  I woke up again at 6:45. I talked to Travis on Skype today.  It was a good visit.  He's getting ready for football season and grand kids school events. My body is still in healing mode, so I took it easy today.  I checked out Ben building some stakes for our tomatoes from bamboo poles he cut down by the river. I weeded a flower bed, cleaned the shower and toilets, and rested.  I grated some of the coconut for lunch. Lunch was banana, coconut, 1/3 of a lemonade fruit, and some watermelon.  I LOVE lemonade fruit.  It's a lemony citrus, but it's not sour.  It tastes like lemonade.  It's also known as a Meyer lemon. http://www.ehow.com/how_6195200_care-lemonade-lemon-citrus-trees.html I was glad to hear from my Philly family that all is well with them after the earthquake.  Caleb messag...

I slept sound last night and woke up feeling good at 5:30.  I read this morning and did some work on-line.  I worked some today, too.  I cleaned the porch at the dining room, watered my baby plants and cleaned the kitchen. Lunch was watermelon and coconut.  John told me about some of his experiences in India and South Africa.  In South Africa there were shanty towns made up of shelters made out of anything from cardboard to scrap metal.  In one of these shanties he saw a group of children all squatted down in their school uniforms with eager faces ready to learn.  It was their school.  Somehow the families had provided them uniforms because they saw it as important.  The children were happy and they were not BORED. I got a sunbath after lunch.  The sun felt so toasty and warm. Consultation was at 2:00.  My only complaint is a pain in the middle of my back. I worked on the computer during the afternoon...checked messages, typ...

I woke up at 5:00 and went over my speech.  I have no idea how long it will go, because I can't stay focused on it long enough to get through it.  With my unfocused mind, it takes 1-1/2 hours.  Probably when I give it, it will take five minutes. I'm feeling better this morning - no nausea!  Take away the dross, and you'll have a finer vessel! I'm enjoying reading the Bible through again.  Instead of focusing on the primary meaning, I am looking at them as an individual.   And' it is delightful when totally random readings tie together and something beautiful comes to mind. Proverbs 25:28  He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and WITHOUT WALLS. Zechariah 2:5  For I the Lord, will be unto her A WALL OF FIRE around about and will be the glory in the midst of her. I got on line and checked emails and Facebook, but I couldn't get Skype to work. I sat in the sun for awhile, but it's still a little chilly ...

I was up at 2:00 a.m. very nauseous, but was able to go back to sleep and rest some more.  I finally got up at 7:00...that is I sat up in bed and read.  It was too cold to get out from under the covers.  It was 55 degrees in my room.  I read my Bible chapters and found sweet comfort there. I then ventured over to the office and checked Facebook and emails.  There was a sweet email from a dear friend that was full of encouragement.  I heard from my grandson, Braeden, who is the fastest seventh grader in his school!  I did some trip planning...trying to figure out how to get from the airports to the places I am staying. Even though it was chilly, Penny and I sat outside on our patio and visited. Lunch was two oranges.  They were delicious and did not make me feel sick.  After lunch, I took a nap for about an hour.  Consultation with the doctor was at 2:00. Supper was watermelon.  This melon is better than the last.  ...

I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and heard John leave for Cairns about 4:00.  It was a colder than normal morning which made it hard to get up. At 7:00 I got on-line and checked emails and Facebook.  Today is my grand-daughter, Ashlyn's birthday.  It's also the Rich Mountain Association today.  I wish I could be at both of these places. The sun came out, and it warmed up nicely so Penny and I visited on the covered patio. I signed up for a global roaming plan for my iphone for while I am traveling.  Also, trying to get my travel dates extended with Bank of America, but the numbers they gave me to call while I am out of the country aren't working.  Hopefully, they will let dear hubby, Travis, take care of it for me. Skype is wonderful!  I got to go to Ashlyn's birthday party after all.  She had a houseful of girlfriends, and they were partying big time.  Ken even gave me a piece of birthday cake.  I got to see Zac, Braeden, and Molly, too. ...

It was a terrible night.  The nausea was bad, and I only slept about four hours.  The smell of everything made me sick.  The taste of water made me sick, yet I was extremely thirsty.  There is a sickening taste in my mouth.  This comes from stopping the fast early.  My body is still trying to fast, and we are switching horses in mid-stream so to speak. I finished my speech.  Now I just need to practice it a little bit.  I'm also still working on reading through the Bible. During the day I felt a little better.  I continued doing hand laundry and re-arranging my suitcase.  A good sign I am feeling better...I tweezed my eyebrows!  John was nice enough to bring me some bottled spring water.  I hate to be supporting privatized water in plastic bottles, but the rain water was making the nausea worse. Lunch was watermelon...and not a very good watermelon, either.  Arkansas melons are the best.  This one was actually h...

Yesterday I had a cup of orange juice for lunch and another cup of orange juice for supper.  I have had a low energy day.  The doctor says many times the energy is lower for a few days after the fast than it was during the fast because now energy is going to digestion. Penny spent the day in Kuranda.  Tina is working at a German restaurant in Kuranda, so Penny caught a ride in with their family.  She explored the galleries there and visited the falls.  She took her fruit and nut lunch with her and ate it at the park.  They came back after Tina got off work and the kids got out of school. I rested a lot, did hand laundry, and worked on packing for my trip.  John gave me a stack of books to take to Melbourne so now I have to figure out how to fit them in my little suitcase. We have a bat that is terrorizing our toilet at night.  He poops all over the bathroom and pees on our toilet paper.  We want him to go somewhere else. ...

I was all prepared to go another day on the fast when John showed up at lunch with a cup of orange juice.  I relished it.  Took about a quarter of it with a little spoon, then took a shower and did some hand laundry before going back to my room to slowly enjoy the rest of it.  It was delicious. I caught up on my letter writing today and have four letters ready to mail in Cairns on Friday.  I won't be able to make the trip, but John will mail them for me. I had a good consultation with John today.  We talked about the healing...which will continue, but at a slower rate outside of the fast.  The body deals with physical and psychological issues as it heals.  It's all fascinating to me. I almost have all the cobblers pins out of my jacket.  Hopefully, it will be ready to go with me when I start traveling.  It's fairly warm in the north of Australia, but it is cold in south Australia.  I'm going to need lots of layers. I'm still...

I am on the eighth day of the fast.   Today I am feeling very lazy.  I have spent most of the day in bed, although I did manage to do some hand laundry, take a shower, wash my tennis shoes, plant two watermelon seeds in a little six pack, and start figuring out what to pack on my trip. I still feel asthma, tongue is still coated, and there is a funky smell from my right armpit which is from the liver detoxing.  I'm ready to get some orange juice....but I don't want to cut the fast short and not get all the good I can out of this experience.   It would be better to get all the morbid matter cleaned out that is possible before moving on. I have started working on my speech to give in Melbourne.  I am going to call it My Journey to Raw. I'm good.   Hope you are, too. Stay healthy.  Be happy.

Last week while fasting I received three letters from home.  They were so welcome.  I got one from my lovely friend Theresa Byers, one from my sweet and spicy mom, and one from my much loved grandson Caleb. I'm getting behind on my letter writing. I don't know when we will break the fast....maybe not too much longer.  I'm still having asthma so I doubt we will break it today.  My body decided to rest.  I slept yesterday afternoon, most of the night, and fairly late this morning.  I feel pretty good, though. Just two weeks until I begin my 26 day solo trek across Australia.  I can hardly believe that it is time.  I have no idea what to pack because...since we are on the bottom half of the world....the further south you go the colder it gets.  September here is the equivalent of our March.  I think it might be pretty cold down there. I am scheduled to give a speech in Melbourne to the Melbourne Vegetarian Society.  How did I get...

I am still fasting.  My body is still healing.  My main symptom right now is asthma.  I am glad my body has decided to address this problem.  Asthma is related to the digestive tract.  The first time I had asthma was after a big feed at the company I worked for where they fed us barbecue sandwiches and all the fixings to go with it.   On the way home, I thought I was going to die.  I pulled into the emergency room of the hospital to try to get relief.  After about two hours, I realized they didn't know what I needed, so I got up and went home and have not been back to the doctor since. I can feel the pulse in my abdomen beating so strongly.  John says that is the solar plexus. Here is the recipe for Penny's Crackers.  I plan to make these and keep them on hand all the time once I get home.  I can see myself taking them to restaurants to eat with my salads. Penny's Crackekrs 1-2 cups linseed.  Grind in blender and p...

This is day five of a fast.  I planted tomatoes on Tuesday, but by the time I was finished I could barely walk.  While we were preparing lunch, I told John, I was nauseous.  He said, "Then it's time for you to stop eating".  So very gladly I went to my room and crawled under my covers.  I was running a temperature of over 100 degrees, headache, diarrhea,  lower back pain...I could go on and on.  In Nature Cure this is called a healing crisis. A healing crisis occurs when your body has built up enough vitality to make a giant purge of toxins.  It feels awful, but the results on the other side will be so worth it.  I have never fasted five days before.  I fasted for three days with John's long distance supervision from my home, but it was more difficult by far than this has been.  One reason is because my body was ready for this and another is because my dear husband is not smelling up the house with popcorn, lemon pepper ...

I woke up at 4:30 and read my Bible.  I have 56 books left to go in order to read the whole Bible before I leave here.  Right now I am reading from Genesis, Nehemiah, Proverbs, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Acts, and Hebrews. Hebrews 7:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: Today we planted four new trees and fed two more trees.  I made two trips for wheelbarrow loads of blue stone.  Blue stone is heavy!  I also got a load of mulch.  We got these all finished by lunch. Lunch was papaya, avocado, sapadilla, pineapple, banana, and coconut.  I didn't want my banana. I got a sunbath today.  The sun was quite hot.  I stayed out almost an hour.  Maybe that was too long as I started feeling nauseous. Consultations at 2:00.  Penny did good with her sugar levels today.  This morning it was 5.3, before lunch it was...

I got up at 6:00, exercised and dressed for work.  I was able to Skype with the Philly family today.  It was good to at least see everyone for a minute and hear their voices.  They were fixing hamburgers and getting ready for company tonight. We worked in the rain today.  I built up my watermelon bed with crushed rock, fertilizer, compost, and mulch.  Then I helped John mulch some trees.  John inspected my watermelon bed.  He mowed over the grass I pulled out of the row.  I bagged up the plastic that got pulled out of the row, and I got stung by a few ants in the process.  Now if the watermelon seeds will sprout, I will be able to plant them.  Then we staked three bean plants.  By the time we got through today, my feet were squishing water in my shoes. It was a rainy day. The watermelon row. Lunch was 1/3 papaya, 1/3 star apple, 1/3 mango, 1/3 avocado, banana, and coconut.  Penny ate green leaves with her fruit to he...

I slept until 7:00, did my exercises, and dressed for a chilly, rainy day.  I made several attempts to get on-line but didn't have any luck during the morning.  I swept the cabin for the new arrival, cleaned my room, cleaned my Lugable Loo, and cleaned the bathrooms.  I also read in the novel I'm reading.  It's a perfect book for curling up on a rainy day. "There is something about being in a very expensive hotel that is the opposite of character forming.  There is a strong sense born at the reception desk that the servility and cosseting on offer are an absolute right to be maintained at all times, and from which the most momentary lapse is an outrage." - From the novel Sheer Abandon I had lunch alone so I had 1/2 of a coconut.  I didn't shred it.  I just whacked it out of the shell and ate it in chunks.  I also had a black sapote, 1/3 of a papaya left from yesterday, a mango and a banana. After lunch I was able to get on-line long enough t...

I woke up at 12:45 thinking I should not go to Cairns today.  It was raining, and I was sleepy, but when I got up at 3:20 I felt like going.  We dropped Karen off at the airport at 4:45 with a few tears. She thanked John for his wisdom and told me to stop worrying about the scales.  I hope to see her again soon when she comes to the States. We went to Rusty's Market and bought papaya, sapadilla,  avocados, tomatoes, star apples, cucumbers, coconuts, bananas, pineapples and mandarins. John did his program at the radio station, and I surfed the internet.  I checked emails, Facebook, looked at acreage in Saline County, Arkansas, and checked out places to stay in Cairns.  I have about decided on the Mercure.  After 25 days traveling solo across Australia, I might enjoy a little more luxury than a hostel for the last three nights.  A private room with a private bath, a television, electrical outlets, and wi-fi sounds wonderful. We went back to Ru...

I woke up at 5:20 to a pouring rain.  I read, exercised and dressed for work.  I did get on line for a few minutes before the 240 volt power played out, but not long enough to Skype.  I am wanting to talk to my Philly family.  Maybe tomorrow. Today I worked on getting my watermelon bed ready.  John gave me instructions and then left me with it.  First, I mowed the grass on both sides of my row.  Then I used a mattock to uproot the grass out of my row.  I weeded all the grass out and then leveled my row with the mattock and a rake.  I am soaking my watermelon seeds today getting them ready to sprout. This is where my watermelons will run. I got it mowed so they can run in either direction. I used the mattock to uproot the grass from my watermelon row. Grass all cleared out....next I will add ground rock, fertilizer and compost. Lunch was black sapote, sapadilla, avocado, papaya, and coconut.  Karen ate lunch with us tod...

I talked to Travis, Mom, Molly and Ashlyn on Skype this morning.  We had a bad connection, but it was good enough to talk a little bit.  Travis, Molly, and Ashlyn were at Mom's nursing home.  Mom was dressed up and ready to go somewhere, so they were taking her out. Today I planted some radishes, Chinese cabbage, and paak tsoi in the veggie garden.  I put some fertlizer in little trenches beside the smaller tomato plants that need a boost. I helped John put compost and mulch around the new trees he planted today.  Then I cleaned the kitchen. John and I went to Mareeba to pick up his generator.  I don't think it is fixed, though, because I heard him trying to start it after we got back. I bought two pair of shorts at The Salvation Army Store.  I got watermelon seeds at the hardware store, Sugar Baby and Country Sweet. We had consultations at 2:00.  I got my anatomy lesson put into document form and sent to John. I'm looking for a pla...

This morning I planted seeds in the veggie garden:  lambs lettuce, radishes, Chinese cabbage, and paak tsoi.  Then I helped John plant more trees. While getting mulch today, I got in with some Mexican fire ants.  I don't know how Mexican fire ants got to Clohesy (Kunandra), Australia. Holes dug for new trees. Here I am pushing a load of compost. New trees planted. The veggie garden is growing.  Today at lunch I ate my fuit in reverse order....least favorite to favorite.  I ate black sapote, sapadilla, papaya with coconut, banana with coconut, and mango with coconut. Karen broke her fast today.  She had a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice in her room.  She was instructed to sip it very slowly with a spoon.  To drink it quickly can cause you to go unconscious.  It's important to break the fast properly.  She took the advice seriously and took 1-1/2 hours to drink her cup of juice. John and I went to Mareeba to take ...

On Monday we planted six trees.  First a circular spot is cleared with the lawn mower.  A square hole is made with a mattock, then the dirt is emptied out of the hole with a shovel.  All the dirt from the hole is spread on the downhill side for two reasons - 1) to make the ground more level and 2) to put the poor quality soil on the side that will drain away from the tree.  The hole is filled with ground rock, fertilizer and compost...enough to bring the level of the new tree up high enough so it will not be lower in the ground than it was in the pot.  These layers are mixed and tamped down with the shovel really good so there will not be any air pockets.  These layers continue to be added until the soil is built up in the hole as high as we want it.  The tree is then put in the hole, and the rest of the hole is filled in around the tree roots with compost.  Step around the planted tree to compact the earth...but do not step on the root ball. ...

I was without computer for almost three days.  I have been blaming it on the 240 volt batteries, but John says it's not the batteries.  He says it is the broadband satellite connection.  I hope it is fixed now.  I suspect I was not plugged in good. On Sunday I planted seeds in our vegetable garden:  Shanghai Paak Tsoi, Cherry Belle Radish, Chinese Cabbage Pak Choi Kwang Moon, and Tatsoi.  I planted plants of Green Pak Choi, Salad Rocket (Arugula), and Cos Lettuce.  I'm pretty sure I got distracted visiting with Karen and planted four arugula plants in the row I had already planted radishes in. After that, I helped John plant a new mango tree.  This little baby got lots of food - blue stone, fertilizer, compost...layer after layer to fill the hole.  Then we fed around the perimeter of the tree, blue stone, fertilizer, compost, and mulch. Lunch was papaya, black sapote, sapadilla, banana, avocado, and coconut. Karen and I sunbathed. ...